About Yellow Wood AI
Yellow Wood AI helps organisations solve the challenges that matter most to them, with AI as a practical tool — not an end in itself.
Founded by Wayne Lim and Paddy Ward, and based in Waikato, New Zealand, we bring together deep expertise in organisational development, training design, strategic management, and governance. We specialise in working with organisations in regulated sectors — including education, health, community services, and government — where getting it right matters.
Our Mission
To help organisations solve their most pressing challenges through targeted, human-centred AI solutions.
Our Values
We understand your challenges before we design solutions
We make it our job to listen first — to understand the specific challenges you’re facing, the pressures shaping your decisions, and what success looks like for your people. That understanding is what makes the difference between a generic recommendation and a solution that actually fits.
We put people before technology
We design every solution around the people who will use it — how they work, what they need, and what will make the biggest difference to them. AI is only as effective as the human thinking behind it, and we never let the technology lead the conversation.
We build confidence to act
Progress stalls when organisations are uncertain about safety, evidence, or direction. We ground our work in research and real-world outcomes, and we design with privacy and compliance built in from the start. Our goal is to give people the clarity and assurance they need to move forward.
Meet the Team
Wayne Lim
Director
Wayne brings deep experience in organisational governance, strategic management, business development, and operations – across both commercial and public sector organisations.
He has owned and managed businesses in retail, trade, and wholesale, and held senior leadership roles in health, vocational training, and tertiary education. That breadth means Wayne understands the specific challenges organisations face across very different sectors, and what it takes to address them practically.
For over ten years, Wayne has been a judge of the annual innovation awards for the Association for Tertiary Education Management in New Zealand and Australia. He is also a member of the Chartered Governance Institute of New Zealand.
Paddy Ward
Director
Paddy brings over three decades of experience in training design, organisational development, and capability building across hospitality, vocational education, and multiple sectors.
He spent twelve years in hospitality management before transitioning to vocational education, where he designed training programmes, led business development for international partnerships, and built e-learning systems for diverse learner cohorts.
For the past three years, Paddy has focused on helping organisations apply AI as a practical tool to solve specific challenges. He works with organisations on understanding their situation, designing targeted solutions, and building internal capability. Paddy is a member of the Ministry of Education’s Waikato Secondary School AI Steering Group.
Want to work with us?
Book a free discovery call. Tell us about your priorities and we’ll help you work out where to start.