Engage Squared wins 2026 Microsoft New Zealand Partner of the Year

Auckland, New Zealand – 12 November 2026 – Engage Squared today announced it has been named the 2026 Microsoft New Zealand Partner of the Year, recognising its work helping organisations across Aotearoa move from AI experimentation to secure, organisation-wide adoption and practical business outcomes.

Selected from more than 4,500 nominations worldwide, the award is one of Microsoft’s highest recognitions for its partner ecosystem. It reflects Engage Squared’s growing contribution to New Zealand’s digital transformation, particularly across government and enterprise, where the consultancy is helping organisations introduce Microsoft 365 Copilot, deploy AI agents and modernise ways of working.

“Being named Microsoft New Zealand Country Partner of the Year is enormous for Engage Squared,” said Alastair Cashen, Global CEO of Engage Squared.

“New Zealand has become an incredibly important part of our business, with a brilliant local team and a relationship with Microsoft that has gone from strength to strength. This recognition reflects what they’ve built together, and the impact they’re having for organisations across New Zealand.”

“We’ve always believed the best technology starts with people. As AI changes what’s possible at work, that idea has never been more relevant.”

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards celebrate partners delivering exceptional customer outcomes through Microsoft Cloud, AI, services and devices. This year’s winners and finalists were selected from more than 4,500 nominations submitted worldwide across a diverse range of categories and geographies.

Engage Squared was recognised for providing outstanding solutions and services in New Zealand, following a significant year of growth and delivery across more than 100 New Zealand organisations in government and enterprise.

Across New Zealand, Engage Squared has supported major public sector Copilot deployments, helped government agencies introduce AI agents into operational workflows, and worked with organisations to strengthen security and governance ahead of broader AI adoption.

“This recognition belongs to our brilliant local team, whose expertise has placed Engage Squared at the heart of some of Aotearoa’s largest Copilot and agent rollouts. It’s a privilege to support frontier organisations as they shape what’s next with AI,” said Liz Mayo-Smith, Co-General Manager, New Zealand, at Engage Squared.

Engage Squared combines people-friendly technology with practical AI, engineering and Microsoft expertise, helping organisations turn emerging technology into better ways of working through strategy, governance, technical delivery, human-centred design, adoption and ongoing support.

“Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards,” said Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft. “This year’s honorees are harnessing the power of Microsoft Cloud and AI to deliver transformative solutions, accelerate customer success, and expand what’s possible. Their ingenuity and impact inspire us, demonstrating what can be achieved when bold vision and technology come together to empower organizations around the world.”

The 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced ahead of Microsoft Ignite, which will be held in San Francisco from November 17–20.

The recognition continues a strong history between Engage Squared and Microsoft. Engage Squared was named Microsoft Australian Partner of the Year in 2021, global Microsoft Partner of the Year for Employee Experience in 2022 and global Microsoft Partner of the Year for Modern Workplace – Frontline Workers in 2025. Its Japan business was also named 2025 Microsoft Japan Partner of the Year for Copilot & Agents.

In 2026, Engage Squared was also named a global finalist for the Microsoft Nonprofit Partner of the Year Award.