For years, small and mid-sized law firms have been stuck choosing between two imperfect options: adopt enterprise platforms built for firms ten times their size or settle for lightweight tools that don’t quite deliver. One of our B:HIVE members is taking a different approach.

Jude is an AI-native legal workspace, designed specifically for how generalist firms actually work. And that “AI-native” label isn’t just marketing, it changes the experience entirely. Most legal tech today has AI layered on top. A chatbot here, a summariser there. Useful, but disconnected from the real work. You still need to stop, switch tabs, paste content in, and bring it back into your workflow. Jude flips that. The AI sits inside the work itself in the case, in the document, in the drafting. It’s not a feature sitting off to the side, it’s part of how the system is built.  But the more interesting shift is what sits underneath that.

Every firm has its own way of doing things, how advice is structured, what questions get asked, what “good” looks like. That thinking is often the most valuable part of the business, but it typically lives in people, not systems. Jude is built to capture that as it happens. As lawyers work, the platform learns how the firm operates and turns that into structured intelligence that both the team and the AI can draw on. The goal isn’t to replace judgement, but to make sure a firm’s best thinking shows up consistently across every matter.

The idea came from spending time inside the industry. After visiting more than 150 firms, the pattern was clear most tools weren’t built for the people actually using them. They were built around legacy systems, not real workflows. Now, Jude is being used by firms across New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, the USA and the UK, part of a new wave of businesses rethinking how traditional industries operate with AI at the core.

It’s also a good reflection of what’s happening inside the B:HIVE.

We’re seeing more businesses that are AI-native from day one, sitting alongside established industries like legal, finance, and consulting. That mix matters. It’s where new ways of working get tested, challenged, and built in real time.

In just three years, SharkNinja’s New Zealand team based at B:HIVE+ has grown from two to fifteen people, a reflection of just how quickly the brand is growing in APAC. This growth is driven by a steady stream of new products, new categories, and a focus on what consumers actually want.

“We’ve never stood still,” says Theo Knudtson (featured below), Field Sales Manager for SharkNinja NZ. “There’s always something new coming whether that’s a product, a category, or a different way of showing up in market.”

At its core is a commitment to innovation, not just in what they make, but how they bring it to life. Most NZ households were first introduced to SharkNinja through floorcare. Today, the brand range includes Kitchen appliances, beauty tech, and now a coffee machine, each new category building on the trust they’ve already earned in the home. In a country that already loves its coffee, it could easily have been overlooked as a saturated space. Instead, SharkNinja leaned in backing the product, investing in experience-led activations, and letting performance do the talking.

SharkNinja won’t take something to market unless it hits a 4.8+ consumer rating. That means products are tested, refined, and often reworked, sometimes over years before they ever land on shelves. It’s this pursuit of the outrageously extraordinary that sets the brand apart, pushing beyond incremental improvements to create products that genuinely stand out in the home.

The same approach is playing out in beauty. Still relatively new for the brand, but already gaining traction through social channels and word of mouth. Products like the CryoGlow mask have taken off helped by creators using them, sharing them, and building credibility in real time.

“We like to disrupt,” Theo says. “That’s what we do.”

Whether it’s a vacuum that pulls more out of the carpet than you thought possible, or an appliance that earns its place on the kitchen bench, the experience builds trust quickly. That trust is what’s fuelling the next phase of growth. We can’t wait to see what’s coming next.

The accounting industry is full of noise. That can make complex topics harder to understand.

Meet Antlab.

After three years of building (and still building), the team is developing an AI-driven system designed to make the complex simple.

Jordan Norton, Director of Antlab, puts it simply:

• AI is not here to replace your accountant. It is here to make them better.
• It handles the volume so our team can focus on what matters: you.
• The businesses that thrive next will not be the ones that feared AI. They will be the ones that used it to move faster and make smarter calls.
• We are not launching until the system matches our north star: best practice, delivered beyond what humans or AI can achieve alone, but together.

For Jordan, it’s the natural next step: combining accounting industry problems with smart technology to build something that makes a difference.

Watch this space. What does the future of the accounting industry look like?

At most high schools, Year 13 is about exams, university applications and waiting for the real world to begin. At Westlake Boys, it can also mean starting a company.

That idea became The Openground Foundation of New Zealand, a hands-on entrepreneurship programme where students don’t just learn business theory, they build real ventures, work with mentors and pitch for funding. Launched in 2022 with support from the Westlake Foundation and long-time entrepreneurship champion Bill Smale, the programme set out to give students something school rarely does….. the chance to test ideas in the real world.

One of those students was William Montague-Brown.

After going through Openground and winning its top award, Will has become one of its biggest champions. Now based at B:HIVE, he still runs his Openground-founded AI consultancy while working to scale the programme beyond Westlake, building the platform, partnerships and community needed to bring the model to more students across New Zealand.

This year, Open Ground launched an additional extracurricular programme at B:HIVE. Fifteen year 12 students come in after school, on their own time, to build real businesses with mentorship from real world business people. Eight weeks in, every one of them has started a business and is either already making sales or on track to close their first within the next two weeks.

The goal isn’t just to teach business. It’s to help young people develop confidence, resilience and the mindset to create opportunities for themselves, whether that becomes a startup, a career, or simply the belief that their ideas are worth pursuing.

What started as one bold idea inside a school is quickly becoming something bigger.

And from B:HIVE, the next chapter is being built.

Will MB Featured in front of the iconic B:HIVE staircase.

Great creative work doesn’t just look good — it has a direct impact on results, and tells the story behind the brand. And often, the team behind it is a small, focused crew who really care about the craft.

That’s the story behind Create x Wonder, a creative content studio based at B:HIVE+ at Smales Farm.

Founded by Grant Ballot, the now family-run agency has spent the past nine years quietly building a reputation for thoughtful, high-quality storytelling — across video and photography. When Grant first arrived in New Zealand and launched the business, there was no blueprint. Just sheer determination to make a name for himself, grit and creative talent. In a bold move, he hand-delivered Valentine’s Day cards to agencies around Auckland. One of those landed on the desk of tourism agency Tomahawk’s founder Gina Paladini — and she gave him a shot. That project led to another. And another.

Since then, Create x Wonder has become a trusted production partner for brands across agri-tech, manufacturing, IT & tech, tourism, and more. And while the formats and platforms have changed, one thing hasn’t: their unwavering commitment to deliver great content.

“We’re small, but we’re hands-on,” says Producer Kirsty Ballot.

“When you partner with Create x Wonder, you work with us from concept through to handover. We care deeply about the outcome, and we make sure that shows in the final product.”

The team recently celebrated a highlight — producing a national campaign for BePure, the wellness brand known for its science-led supplements and holistic health approach.BePure was in the middle of a major brand evolution, shifting toward a new identity centred around the message You + Science. They needed a creative partner to bring that story to life across TV, digital, and outdoor media. Create x Wonder pitched — and won.

Over several weeks, the team led concept development, casting, shoot production and delivery across channels. The result was a campaign built on real stories and relatable moments — content that felt human, not staged.“It was a big moment for us,” says Kirsty. “Our first original TVC — from pitch to final delivery. It pushed us creatively and technically”. You can watch the campaign here.

Create x Wonder deliberately stay lean. It means they can stay close to the work, move quickly, and build deeper relationships. And it’s part of why long-term clients like Hot Mustard, Fletcher Living, and Hyundai keep coming back. Their ethos is simple: show up, think critically, and make great work. Over time, that trust pays off.

“We’re not trying to be the biggest,” says Kirsty.

“We just want to keep doing meaningful work with people who value it

— and bring in a few great people to help us do more of it, as we set to grow our small team in the new year.”

After nearly a decade of producing content in all shapes and forms, for reputable clients across Aotearoa and beyond, Create x Wonder are excited about the next chapter, as they reach their 10 year milestone in business.