- One NZ AI Trust Report 2026 shows the majority of New Zealanders will stop working with organizations they believe are abusing AI
- 29% of New Zealanders are considered ‘AI active’ – confident and frequent users, but most remain cautious
- One NZ launches public-facing online AI Trust Hub to respond to calls for transparency as a fundamental condition for businesses’ use of AI
Wellington – Tuesday 26 May 2026: a new national report from One NZ has found that New Zealanders are increasingly questioning how businesses and organizations use artificial intelligence (AI), with trust emerging as a defining issue for the next stage of AI adoption.
of One NZ AI Trust Reportnow in its second year, surveyed 1,000 New Zealanders about their attitudes towards AI. Although exposure to AI remains high, society’s expectations of how organizations deploy AI are increasing.
The report found the following:
- AI is becoming mainstream. 76% of New Zealanders have used an AI-powered tool or service in the past year, making AI a part of everyday life through chat-based assistants and customer experiences
- Trust is declining: Fewer than two in five New Zealanders believe AI will deliver better outcomes for society
- “AI Actives” has the following advantages: A growing group of AI users (29%) are optimistic and confident about the social impact of AI and are frequent early adopters.
- Productivity remains a key opportunity. New Zealanders continue to see huge potential for AI to improve productivity, with 41% citing it as their biggest positive impact.
- Actual problem: 70% of AI users have experienced an issue in the past 12 months
- Customer concerns: 62% of New Zealanders believe they would stop using a product or service if they had concerns about how an organization is using AI
- Humans take control: 68% say they would be more comfortable interacting with customers using AI if they had the option to speak to a human.
- Clear rules help. 47% say clear government standards increase trust
The findings highlight a shift in public sentiment, with New Zealand moving from initial curiosity about AI to scrutiny to a more critical and cautious stage.
Summer Collins, Chief AI and Business Services Officer, NZ; It says research shows that trust is now a defining issue for AI adoption. “New Zealanders are no longer just exploring AI, they’re evaluating it,” Collins says.
“While people recognize its benefits, they also experience its drawbacks. Trust is becoming the determining factor in whether AI is accepted or rejected.”
New Zealanders want humans where it matters most
76% of New Zealanders have intentionally interacted with AI, but deeper engagement remains limited. While 29% are considered “AI actives” who are confident and frequent users, most remain cautious or are still forming an opinion.
This report shows that trust is increasingly shaped by real-world experiences rather than abstract concerns. Seven out of 10 AI users report encountering issues such as inaccurate information, privacy concerns, poor results, or difficulty accessing human support. These experiences reduce their desire to use AI-powered services in the future.
“Exposure and acceptance do not equal acceptance; in fact, the opposite is true because the more regular users we have, the better we can understand the nuances of how AI thinks and behaves,” Collins says. “If organizations move too quickly without the right safeguards in place, they risk having poor experiences shape how people feel about AI more broadly.”
New Zealanders are also becoming more selective about where they embrace AI. While its use is accepted in sectors such as retail and telecommunications, it is significantly less comfortable in critical sectors such as healthcare, finance, and government.
At the same time, expectations for accountability are increasing. Human oversight has emerged as the most obvious condition for trust, especially in sensitive or high-impact situations.
“People still want to know that there’s someone in charge and someone to hold them accountable when it matters,” Collins said. “They’re not asking for less AI; they’re asking for stronger guardrails on how AI is used.”
One NZ responds by launching AI Trust Hub to build trust through transparency
This research highlights that New Zealanders want transparency, accountability and human oversight, and that these are not sufficient safeguards on their own, but are likely to become basic requirements in a more autonomous AI environment.
In response, One NZ is today launching a new AI Trust Hub on its website to provide customers with detailed information about when and where AI is used in the delivery of products and services.
“Organizations that succeed in the next phase of AI adoption are likely to be those that can demonstrate that their AI systems are secure, explainable, and working for the benefit of their customers and communities,” Collins says. “Building trust through transparency is a key part of this issue, so we are responding by sharing details about our AI approach.
“As AI evolves from assisting people to acting on their behalf through agent AI, questions about identity, authority, and accountability become more important.”
Survey shows concerns about AI are becoming more nuanced
The report also highlights growing concerns about the environmental impact of AI, with 45% of New Zealanders concerned about energy use related to business AI.
Overall, the findings point to a more grounded and demanding public mindset. New Zealanders remain open to AI, particularly for its clear productivity benefits, but expectations for transparency, fairness and oversight have increased.
“There is a real opportunity here for New Zealand. AI is reducing the cost and speed of creating new products, services and experiences, allowing small countries to compete far beyond their traditional scale. The organizations that succeed will not necessarily be those that deploy AI the most, but those that deploy it in a way that customers truly trust.”
Here are the five key signals that will shape trust in AI in New Zealand in 2026.
- AI is becoming mainstream, but meaningful adoption is still shallow
- Public sentiment has shifted from curiosity to surveillance.
- Trust is formed by experience, not perception.
- Human oversight is becoming the baseline for trust
- As expectations for guardrails increase, the value of AI narrows.
Download the full report here. To access the One NZ AI Trust Hub, please visit: https://one.nz/our-company/responsible-ai/
About the 2026 One NZ 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 study used a national sampling framework and results were weighted with Statistics New Zealand census data including gender, age and location to create a nationally representative sample. A total of 1,001 responses were received. Fieldwork was conducted from March 6 to March 20, 2026. This study has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
-end-
Editor’s note:
The findings of the 2025 AI Trust Report can be accessed here. media release + complete report.
