Technology partners Tom Maasland and Kate Cruickshank host this special three-episode series of Tech Suite, marking New Zealand Techweek26.
In this second episode, Kate Cruickshank is joined by John-Daniel (JD) Trask, co founder and CEO of software solutions company Raygun and agentic AI automation platform Autohive, to discuss how to drive tech-led productivity growth in New Zealand.
[00:59] Kate and JD discuss why New Zealand’s long standing productivity challenge isn’t necessarily about lacking access to technology, but about cultural settings, mindset, and execution. JD argues the real gap lies between having the tech tools available and fundamentally rethinking how work gets done using those tools.
[02:32] JD explains that AI is changing the “physics” of organisations, requiring a fundamental rethink of structures, roles, and information flows, far beyond a simple efficiency uplift.
[04:03] They consider why companies that succeed with AI take a hands on, AI native approach early, embrace experimentation, and avoid the fear of making mistakes. JD explains why starting small now is preferable and why focusing on “hero projects” can create unnecessary risk.
[07:07] Kate and JD discuss Raygun’s decision to pause business as usual for a week to immerse the whole company in AI experimentation, noting that through building real agents and automating disliked tasks, teams developed confidence, identified use cases, and created grassroots momentum for AI adoption.
[10:00] JD discusses how AI driven productivity compounded over time, culminating in a dramatic increase in output by 2025. These experiences led to the creation of Autohive, designed to move teams beyond individual AI tools toward shared agents, with greater visibility, return on investment tracking, and enterprise ready AI processes.
[13:21] Kate queries how global approaches to AI regulation are shaping innovation and they discuss whether New Zealand’s lighter touch settings have helped or hindered companies scaling AI internationally.
Information in this episode is accurate as at the date of recording, 11 May 2026.
Please contact Kate Cruickshank or our Technology team if you need legal advice and guidance on any of the topics discussed in the episode.
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