ABBYY and partner, Desktop Imaging, are transforming New Zealand’s public sector with the power of Document AI and intelligent automation. The companies helped Wellington City Council and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) fully automate manual administrative work, meet new regulatory mandates and improve operational efficiency that allows frontline teams to better serve their communities.

“The tangible benefits citizens in New Zealand receive are a testament to the power of AI-powered automation and the collaboration between ABBYY and Desktop Imaging,” commented Bruce Orcutt, Chief Marketing Officer at ABBYY. “By leveraging industry-leading intelligent document processing and workflow automation solutions to automate critical processes, citizens now receive faster rates rebates, smoother payments, and more reliable access to essential services. By using our joint solution, government agencies can leave the digital transformation to us so they can focus on serving their constituents.”

How Wellington City Council Accelerated Rates Rebate for Citizens

Following new regulatory mandates from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in early 2025, Wellington City Council faced an urgent need to modernize its manual rates rebate process. By implementing ABBYY Document AI through Desktop Imaging’s DI Automation: Rates Rebate Service, the Council fully automated form validation, eligibility checks, reporting, and document retention. More than 800 applications have been processed with zero manual data entry, achieving 100% compliance. Following comprehensive planning and testing, the actual deployment of the cloud-based solution took just days, with no additional IT infrastructure required.

"By using purpose-built AI for intelligent automation, Wellington City Council have eliminated manual bottlenecks and ensured every application is processed accurately and on time,” said Stephen Beighton, Director at Desktop Imaging. “Our expertise in New Zealand local government processes was invaluable in customizing the solution to meet Wellington City Council's specific requirements and Department of Internal Affairs compliance standards. It's the kind of innovation all councils should be adopting to better serve their communities.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand achieves accuracy and processing speed goals for payment time reporting compliance.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) processes tens of thousands of invoices annually across more than 650 stations. Manual handling and legacy systems caused delays, errors, and compliance risks. ABBYY Vantage is deployed as part of Desktop Imaging’s DI Invoicing cloud service to automatically capture, classify, and extract the data from invoices to feed the DI Invoicing validation engine for business rule validation, fraud checks, and IRD-compliant workflows. The result is dramatically reduced manual processing, real-time compliance, faster payments, and scalable automation without additional infrastructure or staff.

"Improving accuracy and speed were top priorities for FENZ as we needed to adhere to new payment time reporting requirements. But we also wanted an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution that could be deployed quickly without adding complexity," said Kris Elliott, Solutions Specialist at Desktop Imaging. "By deploying ABBYY technology as an integral part of our DI Invoicing service for customers like FENZ, we improved accuracy, data quality, compliance, and speed. The outcomes have been immediate — faster payments, greater transparency, and more time for their teams to focus on supporting the communities they serve."

Visit https://www.abbyy.com/solutions/government/ for more information about how ABBYY AI powers the public sector.

About Desktop Imaging

Desktop Imaging helps you manage documents, data, and processes more intelligently — from high-volume scanning to intelligent automation, eInvoicing, and strategic digital partnerships. Our solutions modernize manual workflows, improve accuracy, and support your transition to a digital-first future. For more information visit www.desktopimaging.co.nz

About ABBYY

ABBYY helps organizations optimize processes, accelerate decisions, and drive better outcomes with Process AI and Document AI. More than 10,000 enterprises, including many Fortune 500 companies, rely on ABBYY’s 35 years of innovation to turn business data into actionable insights that improve the way we work and live. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, and offices in 13 countries, ABBYY leads the way for smarter agentic automation. For more information, visit www.abbyy.com/company and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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The tangible benefits citizens in New Zealand receive are a testament to the power of AI-powered automation and the collaboration between ABBYY and Desktop Imaging. Leave the digital transformation to us so agencies can focus on serving their constituents.