Australia’s new Office of AI could become a blueprint for how governments oversee the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, with New Zealand experts suggesting the model could offer lessons on how to avoid “falling behind” on managing AI risks.
Last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to establish an ‘Office of AI’ that will develop a single, national framework for the rollout of artificial intelligence technology.
The framework would bring together work from various government departments to address AI’s impact on climate change, energy, education, jobs, copyright and defence – with clear rules for large data centres in Australia, including where they are built and the power and water they use.
In response to the announcement, Professor Alistair Knott from Victoria University’s Centre for Data Science and AI said New Zealand needed a government AI office and “can readily get one.”
“For several years, there have been calls for the NZ government to establish a formal AI office of some kind. Some are calls for a body to regulate the government’s own uses of AI.
“Some are calls for the creation of an AI Safety Institute, to develop policy for the newer more powerful forms of AI. Some are more broader calls encompassing both of these.”
Professor Knott said the government had responded with a “light touch” approach to AI oversight, which he said was set out by former Minister Judith Collins’ guidance document of June 2024 and the ‘AI Strategy‘ of June 2025.
He noted these actions were “moving in the direction of structured institutions.”
“These are inevitable moves, given the rapid advance of AI technology, and its increasing pervasiveness in all aspects of commercial, public and private life.
“The government’s decision to centralise government digital delivery in a single agency in the Public Services Commission is particularly significant. A recent ‘reset plan‘ for this agency highlights the need for a focus on AI in priority projects.”
He noted the plan explicitly looked at Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency as a model and added that a national centre of AI expertise was also part of the Institute for Advanced Technology currently being set up by MBIE.
“Between them, these institutions provide much of the structure and expertise needed to create a national AI Office for New Zealand. The government should build on these existing institutional initiatives, to set one up.”
Meanwhile, Victoria University senior lecturer in artificial intelligence Dr Andrew Lensen contrasted Australia’s approach with New Zealand’s, noting it was “natural” to see increased political attempts to control the AI agenda across the world, “as the public’s concern about the impact of AI continues to grow.”
“While the US, under Trump, has sought to promote the interests of AI companies, this move by the Australian PM seems more focused on protecting their citizens,” Mr Lensen said.
“We have seen Australia confront Big Tech before – for example, taking action to protect news publishers from scraping, with some success, so it will be interesting to see how far they’re willing to stand up against the powerful AI companies – and how successful they are, as a reasonably small nation.”
He said there was “real resentment” by the general public against the impact of AI, “so I think we’ll see more and more left-wing governments take these sorts of policy positions.”
“In contrast, we see little political leadership in New Zealand. None of our major political parties have standalone AI policy released for the 2026 election, despite AI having a major impact on key policy issues like the cost of living, jobs, the environment, and Māori sovereignty.
“We are continuing to fall behind on the opportunity to manage the risks of AI in New Zealand, with potential harms increasing by the day.”
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Professor Knott noted a conflict of interest as a member of one of the groups applying for MBIE’s AI Platform fund.
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