Sovereign AI: RAG that Respects Māori Data & Kaupapa
What is RAG?
Retrieval-Augmented Generation is a simple idea: before the AI writes an answer, it first looks up the most relevant passages from your approved files (policies, service guides, SOPs, product sheets, FAQs). It then generates a clear reply and cites where the facts came from.
Think of it as an open-book test for AI.
Why it matters to small and medium businesses in Aotearoa
Accuracy you can trust: Answers are grounded in your policies and processes, reducing “made-up” content.
Consistency for teams: Everyone sees the same, current guidance.
Time saved: Long documents are summarised into plain language.
Auditability: Source links show exactly where each answer came from.
NZ context: Terminology, products, regulations, and partners relevant to Aotearoa.
How it works (in four steps)
Ask a question in plain English.
Retrieve the most relevant snippets from your approved sources (e.g., SharePoint, Google Drive, knowledge base, PDFs).
Generate a concise answer that uses only those snippets.
Cite the sources so staff can verify and read more.
Real examples for NZ organisations
Operations: “What is our returns policy for online orders placed this month?” The system summarises the current policy and links the SOP.
Customer service: “Which plan should I recommend to a tradie with three staff?” It pulls pricing tiers, eligibility rules, and standard talking points.
Compliance: “What does the Privacy Act 2020 require for email marketing?” It quotes your compliance guide and internal checklist.
A short note on semantic search
Traditional search matches exact words. Semantic search matches meaning. If someone asks for “flu jab”, semantic search will also find “influenza vaccination”. This helps RAG fetch the right passages even when staff use different wording, which makes answers more accurate.
Benefits for Māori organisations
If you serve Māori communities or are an iwi- or kaupapa-based provider, RAG supports:
Māori data sovereignty: You control what sources are used. Solutions can be hosted onshore and aligned to your governance settings.
Cultural fit: Answers can use kupu Māori and local service terms; pathways can reflect tikanga and local partner networks.
Safety by design: Role-based access ensures clinical guidance and sensitive content are only retrieved for authorised users.
Transparent practice: Every answer carries citations for easy checking during audits or case reviews.
What you need in place
Organised, current documents: Policies, SOPs, service directories, product sheets, FAQs.
Access rules: Who may see which collections.
Privacy and security settings: Aligned to NZ regulations and your internal policies.
Content stewardship: Owners for key documents and a simple update/feedback loop.
What we deliver
1) Discovery (2–3 weeks approx.)
Map priority use-cases (e.g., customer service, operations, compliance).
Content and access audit; identify “source of truth” collections.
Risk, privacy, and change-readiness check.
2) Pilot (4–6 weeks approx.)
Stand up a secure RAG environment (cloud or on-prem).
Connect approved repositories; configure semantic search.
Build initial prompts and guardrails; small user group testing.
Success measures: accuracy, response time, citation quality, user feedback.
3) Production rollout
Role-based access, monitoring, and usage dashboards.
Content governance playbook (ownership, versioning, review cycles).
Incident and red-flag handling for sensitive topics.
4) Upskill & support
Short training for frontline staff and content owners.
Admin handover, documentation, and ongoing support options.
(For providers with stronger sovereignty requirements, we also support on-premises and VPC-isolated deployments where content stays within your chosen boundary.)
Guardrails and safety
The system retrieves only from approved sources.
Answers include citations to enable quick verification.
We configure role-based retrieval so private content is protected.
Optional human-in-the-loop review for high-risk queries.
Getting started
If your team spends time hunting through folders, repeating policy questions, or worrying about inconsistent answers, RAG is a practical next step. We can start small with one high-value area (e.g., customer service or care pathways) and scale from there.
Outcome: faster, consistent, and verifiable answers—delivered in plain language, grounded in your own knowledge, and designed for the NZ context.
Ready to explore a low-risk pilot? We can scope a fixed-price discovery and stand up a working proof-of-value with your content in weeks.