The Future of ERP with MYOB – Cloud, AI, and What’s Next for Kiwi Businesses

Welcome to Episode 4 of The Digital Roast, where we wrap up our Season 2 series on ERP by looking ahead to the next era of business software. This time, Ranae Dodds, Christchurch Branch Manager and ERP Business Consultant at Focus Technology Group, is joined by Marie Webb, Senior Product Manager at MYOB, to explore the future of ERP, cloud adoption, AI, and modern user experience design.

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Introduction

From Invercargill to Christchurch, Dunedin to Gore, Queenstown to Wanaka, and Timaru, businesses are rethinking how they manage their operations. Many are moving away from legacy systems and towards cloud ERP solutions that offer more flexibility, security, and automation.

In this episode, Marie shares her global IT experience to unpack why the shift to the cloud is not just a technology upgrade but a growth enabler. She explains how cloud ERP frees organisations from maintaining servers and outdated infrastructure, letting them focus on what really matters: growing their business.

Common Challenges for South Island Businesses

Across the South Island — whether it’s IT companies in Invercargill or IT support teams in Christchurch — many mid-market businesses are still running on-premise ERP systems. Marie highlights the barriers:

Tech debt: older systems that are costly to maintain and prone to performance issues.
Sunk cost fallacy: reluctance to move away from heavily customised systems.
Server reliance: risking downtime, data loss, and outdated security measures.
Status quo mindset: “It’s working now, so why change?”

In fact, around 40% of mid-market businesses in New Zealand are still running on local servers, despite the scalability and security benefits of the cloud.

Why Cloud ERP Matters for Growth

From Invercargill to companies in Dunedin and Queenstown, we see the same benefits when moving to the cloud:

Freedom to focus on your core business — without worrying about hardware or cybersecurity.
Real-time automation — cutting reporting times and streamlining processes.
Scalability — supporting national and international expansion.
Innovation readiness — enabling AI, big data, IoT, and analytics.
Top-tier security — with partners like Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Marie shares examples of finance teams saving 20–40% of their time thanks to automated cloud reporting, replacing manual Excel processes with instant, accurate insights.

Real-Life Examples from NZ Businesses

From Invercargill businesses with multiple branches to Timaru companies expanding into new markets, cloud ERP is driving tangible results:

A client with 40 locations now sends management reports instantly with one click, instead of spending days compiling data.
Organisations are removing bottlenecks caused by outdated systems and preparing for rapid diversification.

The Future of ERP: AI, Innovation & Modern UI

Marie outlines MYOB’s AI investment priorities:

Automation — intelligent, self-learning process automation like smarter invoice scanning (OCR).
Advisors — anomaly detection to prevent fraud and identify operational issues early.
Assistants — context-aware digital assistants that go beyond basic chatbots.

She also reveals MYOB’s modern UI overhaul, making ERP more responsive, mobile-friendly, and customisable for users in industries from IT support in Christchurch to logistics in Wanaka.

Mid-Market Growth in the South Island

MYOB’s research shows the mid‑market — just 3% of NZ businesses — generates 23% of GDP. These companies are agile enough to adapt quickly and large enough to fund innovation. Many are aiming to expand nationally or internationally in the next five years, and cloud ERP is the backbone that will make it possible.

This recognition was announced at the MYOB Discover Live event in Sydney, where MYOB was named the #1 ERP for the mid‑market in Australia and New Zealand.

🎥 Watch: MYOB Discover Live 2024 Highlights

Key Takeaways

Cloud ERP removes the burden of server management and tech debt.
AI will transform ERP through automation, intelligent advice, and assistance.
A modern UI improves user experience and supports future innovation.
Cloud adoption empowers businesses in Christchurch, Gore, Dunedin, Timaru, Wanaka, Queenstown, and Invercargill to scale faster.
Security, scalability, and innovation are best achieved through trusted cloud partnerships.

References:

Services for everybody – Focus Technology

ERP Systems – Focus Technology

MYOB Website

Interested in exploring ERP for your business?

Want to see how cloud ERP and AI can help future-proof your business?

Get in touch with us — we provide IT support and ERP expertise to businesses across Invercargill, Gore, Dunedin, Timaru, Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wanaka.