AI Consultancy · Waikato & Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
AI That Saves Waikato & Bay of Plenty Businesses Time & Money.
From warehouses to workshops, farms to fabrication shops — we find the quick wins that save real hours every week, without the jargon or the enterprise price tag.
"Built from the floor up, not the boardroom down."
Government Co-Funding
The MBIE AI Advisory Pilot co-funds up to 50% of eligible AI advisory and strategy costs, capped at $15,000 per business. Expanded to 150 NZ businesses and running until January 2027.
Available to NZ SMEs via the Regional Business Partner Network. Delivered by MBIE-registered advisors. Eligibility criteria apply.
How It Works
Start here. Then choose your path.
Everyone starts with the free audit — it tells us both what you're working with. After that, the right next step depends on how complex your needs are.
Free AI Audit
Answer 12 questions about how your business operates. Get an instant, personalised AI readiness report — no sales call, no obligation. Most businesses complete it in under 10 minutes.
- Identifies your top AI opportunities
- Scores your readiness across 4 areas
- Gives you a plain-English starting point
- Free — always
Your report covers
Operations & Workflow
Where manual processes are costing you hours every week
Data & Systems
What you already have that AI can connect to
Team Readiness
How prepared your people are for new tools
Quick Win Opportunities
The 2–3 things you could automate this month
After your free audit — choose your path
Your audit results and the complexity of your needs determine which route makes sense.
Quick Wins
From $997 · 2–4 weeks
Your audit has flagged a clear opportunity and you know what you want to fix. No full discovery needed — we scope the specific problem on a call, then build the solution.
- Focused on 1–2 specific automations
- Scoped from your free audit results
- Results in 2–4 weeks
- Best for: clear pain points with known solutions
Discovery & Audit
$3,500 · 2–3 weeks · then scoped implementation
Multiple systems, complex workflows, or bigger ambitions? We come to your business, map workflows in person, and interview your team. Leads to AI Automation Setup ($2,500–$4,500) or the Full FORGE Package ($18,000+).
- On-site workflow mapping sessions
- Team interviews & process review
- Full opportunity identification report
- 60-min findings review call
- Prioritised implementation roadmap
- MBIE co-funding eligible
Gerren Goddard
Founder, Forge & Field · Matamata, Waikato
Why Forge & Field
Built from the floor up, not the boardroom down.
Most AI consultants have never worked a shift in a warehouse or walked a production floor. I have. That background is exactly why my clients trust me — I see the inefficiencies they see, and I know how to fix them without disrupting what's already working.
Forge & Field is a Waikato & Bay of Plenty AI consultancy focused on practical, measurable results for SMEs in manufacturing, warehousing, agriculture, and trades. No fluff. No lock-in. Just automation that saves you time from week one.
Hands-on operations background
Years as a Senior Warehouse Operator working with SAP, HMI/Process Control systems, and real production environments.
IT + AI skills
Currently completing an NZ Diploma in IT Technical Support. I bridge the gap between operations teams and technology.
Waikato & Bay of Plenty local
Based in Matamata, serving businesses across Waikato and Bay of Plenty. No flying-in consultants who've never seen a warehouse at 5am.
Your team first
Every solution I build comes with training, documentation, and real handover — not just a setup and an invoice.
The FORGE Process
Built in the field. Sharpened at the forge.
Every great NZ business starts in the field — in a van, on a job site, behind a counter, out on the land. That's where the real work happens, and it's where we start too.
Find
We listen first. Discovery sessions and real workflow mapping reveal how your business actually operates — the jobs, the gaps, the hours lost.
Optimise
We identify where AI genuinely fits and where process fixes come first. We prioritise with a simple now/next/later approach.
Roadmap
A clear, one-page strategy your team can understand in ten minutes. Practical timelines, realistic budgets, and change management built in.
Grow
We implement, integrate, and iterate. AI solutions that fit the way your team works — not the other way around. Tested, measured, and refined.
Empower
We build your team's capability, not your dependence on us. Hands-on training, internal champion coaching, and the confidence to keep going.
Results in the Real World
What AI automation looks like for Waikato & Bay of Plenty businesses.
These are representative examples based on real operational challenges in NZ manufacturing, trades, and agriculture. Client details have been anonymised.
Manufacturing
Waikato Dairy Processor
$28K/yr in labour
Est. saving
3 weeks to deploy
Timeline
The Challenge
The operations team spent 3+ hours daily pulling inventory data from SAP and formatting it into Excel reports. Data was often entered twice, errors crept in, and management lacked real-time visibility.
What We Built
Automated daily SAP data extraction into a formatted dashboard. Exception alerts sent directly to the operations manager when stock fell below thresholds.
The Results
- 2.5 hrs/day saved — every day
- Zero manual transcription errors
- Real-time stock visibility for management
- Two staff redeployed to higher-value work
Electrical & Plumbing
Hamilton Trades Business
$18K+ in recovered revenue
Est. saving
2 weeks to set up
Timeline
The Challenge
Quotes were going out but follow-ups were falling through the cracks. Staff were manually chasing jobs via phone, losing track, and winning fewer jobs than they should.
What We Built
Automated follow-up sequence triggered after every quote: email at 48hrs, personalised SMS at 5 days. AI drafted the messages; staff reviewed and approved in seconds.
The Results
- 28% improvement in quote acceptance
- Follow-up time cut from 45 mins to 5 mins/day
- No more lost jobs due to missed callbacks
- Staff reclaimed 3+ hrs/week for billable work
Agriculture & Distribution
Matamata Agricultural Supplier
$35K/yr in stock & admin costs
Est. saving
4 weeks to deploy
Timeline
The Challenge
Manual ordering, duplicate supplier emails, and spreadsheet-based stock tracking meant the team was constantly firefighting stockouts and over-ordering.
What We Built
Automated reorder triggers from inventory data, consolidated supplier communication through a single AI-managed inbox, and a weekly auto-generated demand forecast.
The Results
- Admin time cut by 60%
- Stockouts reduced from 12/month to 2
- Seasonal planning improved significantly
- Supplier response time cut by 40%
Transparent Pricing
No surprises. No lock-in.
The audit is free. It tells us both exactly what you need before any money changes hands.
Start Here
Free AI Audit
- 12-question business assessment
- Instant AI readiness report
- Top 3 opportunity areas identified
- Industry-specific insights
- No sales call required
Implementation paths — scoped from your free audit
Both paths start with the free audit. Scope and pricing confirmed on a call.
Ongoing Support Retainer from $497/mo available after any implementation.
Book a Call
Free 30-min Discovery Call.
Tell me about your business and your biggest time-wasters. I'll tell you honestly whether AI can help, what it would involve, and what a realistic result looks like. No sales pitch. No obligation.
- Walk through your top 3 workflow pain points
- Get an honest AI suitability assessment — on the spot
- Leave with at least one practical idea you can act on immediately