Your data can’t leave the building. Your AI doesn’t have to either.
Your own models, on your own hardware, in your own building. RIVER supplies the hardware, deploys and tunes the models, connects them to your platform, and hands you the documentation an audit asks for.
Sounds like you if the data cannot leave the building, and the audit will ask where the models run.
- Your models, on your hardware, in your building
- New Zealand owned, under New Zealand law
- Audit-ready, with the documentation to prove it
The data can’t leave. So a US model was never on the table.
You already know the answer to “just use the cloud API” is no. The data is too sensitive, the audit is too close, and “data residency” turns out to mean a foreign vendor’s datacentre, still under foreign law. The fix isn’t a policy. It’s running the models where the data already lives - in your building, on hardware you own.
Sending it to the cloud
Running it in your building
Your sensitive data leaves the building for a model you don't control.
The models run on your own hardware. Nothing leaves.
The audit asks where inference runs, and the honest answer is “a US cloud”.
You show exactly where every model runs - in your building, under New Zealand law.
“Data residency” is a foreign vendor's datacentre, still reachable under foreign law.
Genuine sovereignty: NZ-owned, on your hardware, no foreign jurisdiction in the path.
Residency is where data sits. Sovereignty is who can compel it.
Security documentation is a scramble every time procurement asks.
The evidence pack is ready - ISO-aligned, with access logs, on request.
A public AI tool is off the table for this data, so the project stalls.
A private model you're actually allowed to use, so the work ships.
The intelligence comes to your data. The data never leaves.
Your models, your hardware, in your own building.
RIVER supplies and installs the hardware, deploys and tunes the models, connects them to your platform, and hands you the documentation an audit asks for. Nothing routes to a public cloud model.
Runs in your building
It starts with the hardware. The models run on nodes you own, inside your own network, so there is no external model in the path and nothing to send offshore.
3 nodes · all on-premise · 0 external calls
Inference stays inside your network. No request reaches a public cloud model, by design - not by configuration you have to trust.
Answers the audit
Sovereign isn't only where it runs - it's whether you can prove it. The deployment ships with the evidence a security review asks for, and the models are tuned to your own work.
Recent activity
- Clinical model queried by an authorised user2m ago
- Admin exported the access log for audit1h ago
- Policy blocked an unauthorised egress attempt3h ago
- Model updated to the current releaseyesterday
Sovereignty you can prove, not just claim.
RIVER is New Zealand owned and builds on 100+ proven modules, so a sovereign deployment tailors in weeks - and it is built to pass the security review that comes next.
Everything a security or procurement team needs is in our Trust Centre
- 100% New Zealand built, Māori and Pacific owned, operated under New Zealand law - not a foreign vendor's jurisdiction.
- You own all of it - the hardware, the models, your data, workflows and IP. Not licensed, not handed back at the end of a term.
- Audit-ready: aligned to ISO 27001 and ISO 42001, with the security documentation and access logs a review asks for. Independent certification is in progress.
RIVER approached every detail with care. Every decision was made with consideration and purpose.
Daemon CoyleGM, Mental Health Foundation · 2021Start with the requirements, then stand it up.
Scope
Weeks 1-2
We agree your security and sovereignty requirements, which models you need, and how many nodes - before any hardware is ordered.
Deploy
Weeks 3-6
We supply and install the hardware in your building, deploy and tune the models, and connect them to your platform.
Assure
Weeks 6-8
Security documentation, access controls and monitoring are handed over, and you sign off against your own requirements.
The investment
One node in your building: hardware, your models deployed and tuned, connected to your platform.
Sovereign AI is sold with a platform, never on its own - the models need your Catalyst instance to run against. Start the platform on the Retainer from $5,000 a month. Delivered to your agreed security requirements, or we don’t invoice the deployment.
Every deployment includes
- Hardware supplied, configured and installed in your building
- Your chosen models deployed, tuned to your work, and kept current
- Connected to your platform, with plain-language answers over your own data
- The security documentation an audit asks for - ISO-aligned, with access logs
- Monitoring, updates and model currency handled for you
- Everything yours to keep: hardware, models, data and IP
The questions people ask when they’re ready to move.
Easy to start. Fast to prove. Built to scale.
Tell us about your Sovereign AI, and we’ll take it from there. Prefer to look first? Ask Moana, or take the free Readiness Check.
Ideas from the field.
Guides and research from a team that ships it.
Article
Why Sovereign AI Matters for NZ
NZ data processed through US servers for AI. Why data sovereignty matters for enterprise, health, and government - and what the alternatives look like.
Article
The Sovereign Infrastructure Advantage
NZ-sovereign AI infrastructure is not just a compliance checkbox. It is a competitive advantage in speed, security, and trust that offshore hosting cannot match.
Article
The Data Sovereignty Imperative
Data sovereignty isn't just about where your data lives. It's about who controls it, who benefits from it, and what happens when you lose that control.
Teams like yours, in their own words.
A decade of work, across health, sport, finance and the public good.
RIVER learnt our business inside out, and found growth we hadn't seen ourselves. That is what changed our ability to scale.
Jay HarrisonFounder, Edison Health · 2022We crunch through complex data to generate insights, and RIVER made it simple to work through, while keeping everyone aligned on our core value proposition.
Alex OsbornCTO, trev · 2024Our business runs on what RIVER built. They have been central to our technology and our growth, and it keeps driving results.
Mark BramwellDirector, Commercial Realty · 2024RIVER listens, understands what we actually need, and gives us our time back. That is what a good partnership looks like.
Tony NaiduDevelopment Manager, Auckland Badminton Association · 2025RIVER helped us validate our market and launch our platform, and they haven't stopped since. They've been with us every step.
Mike CollinsFounder, iMatch Sport · 2025RIVER has been a trusted partner from the start, and they exceeded what we expected. We're already seeing the difference their work is making.
Ellen LekkaProgramme Specialist, UNESCO & SVSG · 2025The team at RIVER has been an incredible partner from day one. Their ongoing support helped make our success possible.
Scott TownshendFounder, trev · 2022RIVER approached every detail with care. Every decision was made with consideration and purpose.
Daemon CoyleGM, Mental Health Foundation · 2021Our new brand is bold and effective, and customers love it. The website has driven a real increase in leads.
Marcus SinGM, Cleanly · 2020We have always been ambitious about what our site should do, and RIVER take on the hardest parts of it. They make it happen, no matter how complex.
Chris HartFounder, Real Groovy · 2021RIVER are responsive and always ready to adapt. We have never had to chase them, and their support has been critical as our needs changed.
Supriya Kulkarni-PadhyeM&E Coordinator, Oceania Football Confederation · 2020We love our new brand. It reflects who we are as a team and resonates with our customers. Thank you for bringing our vision to life.
Tracy BergeGM, Greentree Advisers · 2021