Ai Governance Program – New Zealand Small Business

What Is It?

GetAI New Zealand Small is a ready-to-implement AI governance and compliance program designed for small New Zealand businesses using AI tools such as ChatGPT, AI assistants, automated recommendation tools, document analysis platforms, and customer service chatbots.

It provides the governance framework, policies, procedures, registers, forms, and staff training needed to help small businesses use AI in a practical, responsible, and well-controlled way. In New Zealand, AI use that involves personal information is already subject to the Privacy Act 2020, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has published specific guidance on AI and the Information Privacy Principles.

Who Is It For?

Designed for small New Zealand businesses that:

• Use AI tools internally or externally
• Process customer or staff information through AI
• Want governance in place before AI use expands
• Need a practical framework without enterprise-level complexity

Why Does It Matter?

Using AI creates privacy, ethical, governance, and operational risks.

New Zealand businesses using AI may already need to consider obligations and guidance including:

• Privacy Act 2020
• Information Privacy Principles (IPPs)
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner guidance on AI
• Responsible AI guidance and frameworks emerging in New Zealand

The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner states that the Privacy Act applies whenever organisations collect, use, or share personal information through AI tools, and recommends understanding how the tools work and carrying out a Privacy Impact Assessment before use. New Zealand’s government digital guidance also reflects a wider push toward safe, transparent, and responsible AI use.

Without governance, businesses risk:

• Privacy breaches
• Poor AI outputs or decisions
• Bias or unfair treatment issues
• Customer complaints
• Weak oversight and accountability

When Do You Need It?

You should implement AI governance:

• Before deploying new AI tools
• When reviewing existing AI use
• When customer or staff data is involved
• When clients request governance evidence
• Before AI use becomes embedded without controls

Where Does It Apply?

Applies across New Zealand businesses using AI in:

• Operations
• Marketing
• Customer service
• HR / Recruitment
• Internal productivity
• Data analysis / reporting
• Decision-support processes

How Does It Work?

The program guides your business through implementing AI governance step-by-step.

You will:

• Nominate an AI Responsible Person
• Register all AI tools in use
• Assess each tool for risk, privacy, and ethics
• Implement governance policies
• Train staff
• Maintain registers and annual reviews

What’s Included?

Core Program Documents

0.1 AI Implementation Guide
1.1 AI Welcome
1.2 AI Governance Quick Start Guide
2.1 AI Governance Program
2.2 AI Ethics Statement
2.3 AI Program Evidence Index

Governance / Policy Documents

3.1 AI Governance Accountability Policy
3.2 AI Risk Ethics Policy
3.3 AI Privacy Data Policy
3.4 AI Transparency Human Oversight Policy
3.5 AI Recordkeeping Policy

Procedures

4.1 AI System Registration Risk Assessment Procedure
4.2 AI Procurement Procedure
4.3 AI Incident Breach Response Procedure
4.4 AI Review Decommissioning Procedure

Forms / Templates / Checklists

5.1 AI System Registration Form
5.2 AI Risk Ethics Assessment Form
5.3 AI Procurement Checklist Form
5.4 AI Incident Report Form
5.5 AI Staff Acknowledgment Form
5.6 AI Annual Review Form
5.7 AI Decommissioning Checklist Form
5.8 Privacy Breach Assessment Form

Registers

6.1 AI System Register
6.2 AI Risk Register
6.3 AI Incident Register
6.4 AI Training Register

Support / Reference Documents

7.1 AI Governance Glossary
7.2 AI Audit Readiness Checklist
7.3 AI Governance Considerations Guide
7.4 AI Annual Compliance Review Guide

Final Pack / Training

8.1 AI Staff Training Pack and Quiz