New Zealand (NZ) stories

Xero unveils AI-native finance platform and JAX assistant to cut admin for small firms, with accountants and bookkeepers also in line for gains.

Auror says retailers have linked more than one million repeat offenders, with U.S. chains driving most of the cross-store crime matches.

TrendAI and Anthropic join forces to embed Claude in Vision One, targeting AI vulnerability research and automated cyber defences.

Workday's higher education software wins a second Gartner Leader nod as it rolls out student records tools to universities in Australia and New Zealand.

AI-driven bots and machine accounts are exposing long-running identity security gaps across Australian and New Zealand organisations, experts warn.

Xero's Anthropic tie-up deepens finance software AI split as groups weigh integrated platforms against agent tools that work across multiple systems.

Spotify lets Premium users in New Zealand reshape recommendations as Taste Profile beta aims to make homepage picks more transparent and responsive.

Veolia appoints Richard Kirkman to lead Northern Europe and the UK as the environmental group reshapes its top team for GreenUp growth.

AskNicely unveils Ask NiceAI to help managers at multi-site service businesses turn scattered customer feedback into faster, data-backed action.

FNZ launches premium Select service for wealth clients, giving top-tier firms priority product input, AI tools and faster platform support.

Law firms in US and Canada face rising admin drag as LEAP research finds AI and automation could unlock profitability through fewer manual tasks.

SAP Concur rolls out AI-driven expense automation, policy rule creation and new travel features across Microsoft, Amex and Visa integrations.

TP-Link broadens its gaming router push with Wi-Fi 7 models from AUD $279, led by a tri-band flagship promising sharper traffic prioritisation for busy homes.

8x8 is bolstering its partner-led push after CRN named two regional channel chiefs and Palomarr ranked its platform across nine categories.

Xero and Anthropic strike multi-year deal to weave Claude AI into accounting software, giving small firms real-time cash-flow and invoice insights.

Scale By Avec urges firms to rethink hiring in AI era, backing training, human skills and entry-level pathways over headcount cuts.

Xero rolls out credit notes webhooks and new API pricing for app partners as it tightens permissions, recertification and developer access.

InDebted unveils a standalone API to check AI-written debt collection messages in real time, flag vulnerability and create audit trails.

Auror recognised by Loss Prevention Research Council for engaging retailers and police on organised retail crime in the US.

Barracuda adds Google Workspace email protection, SecureEdge Access and AI security to BarracudaONE while unifying its global partner programme.