Microsoft Copilot for government and public services
Many NZ councils and agencies run on Microsoft 365, so Copilot is often the first AI tool they can govern properly.
- Share of NZ employees
- 6.4%about 157,000 people, Feb 2025
- Highest local share
- 25%Wellington, Wellington
- Highest region
- 18%Wellington, 50,100 employees
Where we start
Many NZ councils and agencies run on Microsoft 365, so Copilot is often the first AI tool they can govern properly. The readiness work matters most here.
Briefings and papers
Draft briefing notes and committee reports in Word from existing documents.
Meeting recaps and actions
Teams recaps for project and working-group meetings.
Information management first
Permissions, labels and records alignment before rollout, so Copilot reflects your information management policy.
Take care: Follow the Public Service AI Framework, the Privacy Act 2020 and the Public Records Act. Work with your information management team from the start.
Where the jobs are
Government and public services accounts for 6.4% of paid employees in New Zealand. These are the towns and regions where its share is highest. Towns need at least 400 employees to be ranked.
Towns with the highest share of jobs in government
| Town | Chart | Share | NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | 25.0% | 6.4% | |
| Upper Hutt | 24.2% | 6.4% | |
| Kaikohe | 18.8% | 6.4% | |
| Mangawhai | 18.2% | 6.4% | |
| Paeroa | 17.6% | 6.4% | |
| Stratford | 15.8% | 6.4% | |
| Palmerston North | 13.1% | 6.4% | |
| Amberley | 10.8% | 6.4% | |
| Marton | 10.5% | 6.4% | |
| Kerikeri | 10.4% | 6.4% |
Share of paid employees at business locations in the town. The tick marks the national share.
Source: Stats NZ, Business Demography Statistics, February 2020 and 2025.
By region
| Region | Chart | Share | NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | 17.8% | 6.4% | |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 9.5% | 6.4% | |
| Northland | 6.2% | 6.4% | |
| Waikato | 5.0% | 6.4% | |
| Canterbury | 4.8% | 6.4% | |
| Marlborough | 4.8% | 6.4% | |
| Auckland | 4.7% | 6.4% | |
| Gisborne | 4.7% | 6.4% | |
| Hawke's Bay | 4.6% | 6.4% | |
| Bay of Plenty | 4.5% | 6.4% | |
| Otago | 4.4% | 6.4% | |
| Taranaki | 4.4% | 6.4% | |
| West Coast | 4.4% | 6.4% | |
| Nelson | 4.3% | 6.4% | |
| Southland | 3.6% | 6.4% | |
| Tasman | 2.1% | 6.4% |
Source: Stats NZ, Business Demography Statistics, February 2020 and 2025.
Courses
1Introductory
Microsoft 365 Copilot foundations
Hands-on Copilot across Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, using your own everyday tasks.
2Organisation
Copilot rollout and readiness
Plan a Copilot rollout that pays for its licences: permissions hygiene, sensitivity labels, pilot groups, champions and adoption measurement.
3Advanced
Copilot Studio agents and advanced Excel
Build agents in Copilot Studio over your own content and processes, automate the actions with Power Automate, and get more from Copilot in Excel.
Other industries
Questions
Is Microsoft Copilot safe to use in government?
With the right plan and rules, yes for most tasks. Follow the Public Service AI Framework, the Privacy Act 2020 and the Public Records Act. Work with your information management team from the start.
Can training use our own government examples?
Yes. We ask for a few real, non-sensitive examples beforehand, or anonymised versions, and build the exercises around them.
Train your government team
- ScopeHeadcount, sites, Microsoft 365 plan and licences, and the teams you want to start with.
- PlanWe propose a course, a pilot group and a format, and agree the files and meetings to use.
- TrainOn-site or over Teams, in Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams, with your own work.
- In person
- Remote
- Half-day workshop
- Full-day workshop
- Team rollout
Independent training by TheColab. Not affiliated with Microsoft.
Enquire
Tell us about your team. We reply by email with a suggested course and format.