- One NZ AI Trust Report 2026 shows majority of Kiwis would stop using organisations they believe misuse AI.
- 29% of New Zealanders are considered “AI Actives”, confident, frequent users – while most people remain cautious.
- One NZ launches public-facing online AI Trust Hub to respond to calls for transparency as a baseline condition for business’ AI use.
Wellington – Tuesday 26 May 2026: A new national report from One NZ has found New Zealanders are increasingly questioning how businesses and organisations use artificial intelligence (AI), with trust emerging as the defining issue for the next phase of AI adoption.
One NZ's AI Trust Report, now in its second year, surveys 1,000 New Zealanders on their attitudes towards AI. While exposure to AI remains high, public expectations around how organisations deploy it are rising.
The report found:
- AI is becoming mainstream: 76% of New Zealanders used an AI-powered tool or service in the past year, with AI becoming a part of everyday life through chat-based assistants and customer experiences
- Trust is declining: Fewer than two in five Kiwis believe AI will deliver better outcomes for society
- ‘AI Actives’ seeing the benefits: a growing group (29%) of AI users are confident, frequent early adopters, who are optimistic around AI’s societal impact
- Productivity remains a key opportunity: New Zealanders continue to see strong potential for AI to boost productivity, with 41% identifying it as AI’s biggest positive impact.
- Real issues: 70% of AI users experienced problems in the past 12 months
- Customer concerns: 62% of Kiwis would stop using a product or service if they were concerned about how an organisation was using AI
- Human at the helm: 68% say having the option to speak to a human would make them more comfortable with AI-powered customer interactions
- Clear rules would help: 47% say clearer government standards would increase trust
The findings highlight a shift in public sentiment, with New Zealand moving from early curiosity about AI to scrutiny, a more critical and cautious phase.
Summer Collins, One NZ Chief AI & Business Services Officer, says the research shows trust is now the defining issue for AI adoption. “New Zealanders are no longer just exploring AI, they’re evaluating it,” says Collins.
People are seeing the benefits, but they’re also experiencing where it falls short. Trust is becoming the deciding factor in whether AI is accepted or rejected.
New Zealanders want a human where it matters most.
While 76% of New Zealanders have knowingly interacted with AI, deeper engagement remains limited. 29% are considered “AI Actives”, confident, frequent users, while most people remain cautious or still forming their views.
The report shows trust is increasingly shaped by real-world experience rather than abstract concern. Seven in ten AI users report encountering issues such as incorrect information, privacy concerns, poor outcomes or difficulty accessing human support. These experiences are reducing willingness to use AI-powered services in future.
“Exposure doesn’t equal acceptance, if anything the opposite is true as more regular users better understand the nuances of how AI thinks and acts,” Collins says. “If organisations move too fast without the right safeguards, poor experiences risk shaping how people feel about AI more broadly.”
New Zealanders are also becoming more selective about where they accept AI. While there is openness to its use in areas like retail and telecommunications, comfort is significantly lower in high-stakes sectors such as healthcare, finance and government.
At the same time, expectations of accountability are rising. Human oversight has emerged as the clearest condition for trust, particularly in sensitive or high-impact situations.
“People want to know there’s still a human in charge, someone accountable when it matters,” Collins says. “They’re not asking for less AI, but they are asking for stronger guardrails around how it’s used.”
One NZ responds with launching AI Trust Hub, building trust through transparency
The research highlights that New Zealanders are calling for transparency, accountability and human oversight, which are likely to become baseline requirements in a more autonomous AI environment, rather than sufficient safeguards on their own.
To respond, One NZ is today launching a new AI Trust Hub on its website, providing customers with more information about where and when AI is being used in the delivery of products and services.
“The organisations that succeed in the next phase of AI adoption are likely to be the ones that can prove their AI systems are safe, explainable and operating in the interests of customers and communities,” says Collins. “Building trust through transparency is a key part of this, so we’re responding by sharing more details about our AI approach.
“As AI evolves from assisting people to increasingly acting on their behalf through agentic AI, questions around identity, authority and accountability become much more important.”
Research shows AI concerns are becoming more nuanced
The report also highlights growing concern about AI’s environmental impact, with 45% of New Zealanders worried about the energy use associated with business AI.
Overall, the findings point to a more grounded and demanding public mindset. New Zealanders remain open to AI, particularly where it delivers clear productivity benefits, but expectations around transparency, fairness and oversight are increasing.
“New Zealand has a real opportunity here. AI is reducing the cost and speed of creating new products, services and experiences in ways that could help smaller countries compete far beyond their traditional scale. The organisations that succeed won’t necessarily be the ones deploying the most AI, they’ll be the ones deploying it in ways customers genuinely trust.”
The five major signals shaping AI trust in New Zealand in 2026 are:
- AI is becoming mainstream, but meaningful adoption remains shallow.
- Public sentiment is shifting from curiosity to scrutiny.
- Trust is being shaped by experience, not perception.
- Human oversight is becoming the baseline for trust.
- AI’s value case is narrowing as expectations of guardrails rise.
Download the full AI Trust Report here.
To access the One NZ AI Trust Hub, please visit https://one.nz/our-company/responsible-ai/
About our 2026 AI Trust Report.
The 2026 One NZ AI Trust Report was conducted by Perceptive using an online survey of New Zealanders aged 18 and over. The research used a nationwide sampling framework, and results were weighted to Statistics New Zealand census data, including gender, age and location, to produce a nationally representative sample. A total of 1,001 responses were collected. Fieldwork took place between 6 March and 20 March 2026. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.
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Editor’s note:
The 2025 AI Trust Report findings can be accessed here: media release + 2025 AI Trust Report.
