Green Meadows Beef is a Taranaki-based meat processing and distribution business. Managing Director Nick Carey engaged N16 Consulting to run the AI Navigator programme — a structured, business-first approach to identifying where AI and automation could create real value.
The Challenge
The business had grown significantly but operations were largely manual. Nick knew AI and automation could help but wasn't sure where to start or what would deliver real value. Like many growing businesses, the risk wasn't doing nothing — it was investing in the wrong things.
The Approach
N16 ran the full AI Navigator programme — starting with detailed questionnaires and over 6 hours of interviews to understand how work actually flowed through the business before talking about technology. The focus was on mapping real operations, identifying bottlenecks and pain points, and understanding the people and processes behind the day-to-day work.
Only after building that deep understanding did we turn to identifying where AI and automation could genuinely help — grounded in the realities of the business, not hypothetical use cases.
The Outcome
The programme identified concrete opportunities for automation and AI, prioritised by impact and feasibility. Green Meadows Beef now has a clear roadmap for implementation — knowing exactly which opportunities to pursue first and why.
What makes Kieran's programme awesome is the deep dive into systems and processes (or sometimes the lack of them!) through detailed questionnaires and 6+ hours of interviews before talking automation or AI. As he so eloquently said on day 1: “You can't automate chaos.”
Want similar results for your business?
The AI Navigator gives you a clear, prioritised roadmap — grounded in how your business actually works.