By embedding AI into document workflows, agencies can reduce delays, improve compliance, and deliver better service to citizens.
Success lies in designing the future state with staff, not for them.
When change is co-created and governance is at the centre, AI becomes a powerful enabler of fairer, faster, more accountable public services
Year: 2025
Industry: Government agency
Services: AI-powered document intelligence, process improvement, desired state mapping
Challenge:
Public sector organisations — councils, government agencies, and police — are drowning in documents. Permits, applications, procurement contracts, compliance records, reporting obligations… the list is endless.
In my experience working with NZ Police and across local government, I’ve seen first-hand how manual document-heavy processes become bottlenecks. For example:
- Procurement approvals would stall because documents had to be manually reviewed and signed off by multiple stakeholders.
- Resource consents or permit applications could sit in queues for weeks, frustrating communities and businesses.
- Compliance and audit preparation often required staff to chase documents across multiple departments.
The result? Staff burnout, public dissatisfaction, and a growing sense that government “can’t keep up.” These inefficiencies weren’t due to lack of effort — they were systemic, caused by paper-heavy, siloed processes.
The common thread? Processes grew organically over time, but were never designed for efficiency. Stakeholders often created “Roblox-style workarounds” just to keep operations moving. The result was:
- Staff bogged down in repetitive admin
- Poor visibility of stock and financials
- Inefficient onboarding and workload management
- Inconsistent customer experiences
These inefficiencies compounded as businesses grew, creating stress, wasted resources, and lost opportunities.
Solution:
The key is introducing AI-powered document intelligence into workflows. Rather than replacing staff, AI becomes the “first reviewer,” handling the repetitive grunt work while humans retain oversight.
In my projects, the approach always began with engagement and mapping:
- Sitting with staff across functions to understand how documents were handled end-to-end.
- Identifying bottlenecks and rework loops (e.g., approvals bouncing between teams).
- Designing a “future state” where technology supported — rather than disrupted — existing structures.
AI can then be deployed to:
- Automatically scan and categorise incoming documents.
- Extract key data points (like dates, names, contract values).
- Flag compliance risks for staff to review.
- Route approvals to the right person instantly.
- Create a transparent, audit-ready digital trail.
Crucially, this works only when paired with strong governance and ethics frameworks — ensuring decisions remain accountable and communities can trust the process.
Impact:
Governments and councils adopting AI in document processing report significant gains, many of which align with what I’ve witnessed:
- 50–70% faster turnaround for permits and approvals.
- Reduced errors and omissions thanks to automated extraction.
- Staff redeployed from paperwork to higher-value, citizen-facing work.
- Clearer compliance trails, easing the stress of audits.
- Improved community satisfaction from quicker, more transparent service.
I’ve also seen the cultural shift that happens when staff realise AI is there to support, not replace them. Teams that once feared automation began to appreciate the relief from repetitive tasks, and instead leaned into work requiring judgement, empathy, and policy insight
Have a question about our work?
Public sector organisations handle huge volumes of permits, applications, contracts, compliance records, and reports. Manual reviews cause delays, bottlenecks, and staff burnout, while communities grow frustrated with long wait times
AI acts as the “first reviewer” — automatically scanning, categorising, and extracting key information from documents. It flags risks, routes approvals to the right staff, and creates a transparent digital trail. This reduces errors, accelerates processing, and frees staff for higher-value work
Councils adopting AI in document workflows report:
50–70% faster turnaround for permits and approvals
Reduced errors and omissions
Staff redeployed to citizen-facing work instead of paperwork
Simplified audits with clear compliance trails
Improved community satisfaction with quicker, more transparent service
No — AI supports staff by handling repetitive tasks, but humans remain accountable for oversight and final decisions. Staff often report greater job satisfaction, as they can focus on work requiring judgement, empathy, and policy insight
AI deployment is paired with strong governance and ethics frameworks. Audit-ready trails ensure accountability, and change is co-created with staff to build trust and adoption across departments
With resource constraints and rising community expectations, NZ councils need to deliver faster, fairer, and more transparent services. AI document processing helps governments “keep up” by boosting efficiency while strengthening public trust