Picture this…you’re looking at your options for admin or creative help. You see my rate – $75 an hour – and think, “Why would I pay that when I can hire someone for $30 an hour?” On paper, it looks obvious. In reality, it’s not even close.

The real cost of an employee in New Zealand
A $30/hour wage is just the start. By the time you’ve added:

• Annual leave (four weeks paid)
• Sick leave (up to 10 days), plus bereavement and other statutory leave
• Public holidays (paid days off)
• KiwiSaver (at least 3% employer contribution)
• ACC levies
• Recruitment costs (advertising or agency fees)
• Office space, power, and internet
• Furniture and equipment (desk, chair, computer, phone, etc)
• Consumables (tea, coffee, milk, toilet paper – yes, it all adds up!)
• Training and professional development (employers often pay $500–$2,000/year)
• Extra app subscriptions (many tools charge per user)

It adds up quickly. And that’s before we even talk about productivity.

Productivity matters
An employee’s paid time includes breaks, interruptions, slow days, and the inevitable chat by the coffee machine. Research shows the average employee is productive around 60% of the time. That means you are paying for a lot of hours that don’t directly move your business forward.

How I work differently
When you work with me as your Virtual Assistant through AI Impact Solutions:

• You only pay for the hours I’m actively working on your tasks.
• No costs for leave, KiwiSaver, ACC, office space, or equipment, etc.
• You can scale hours up or down as needed – without HR headaches.
• I bring over 40 years of experience across admin, marketing support, creative presentations, and business operations – so no lengthy training curve.
• My packages start at a minimum of one hour and are paid up front.
• The more hours you book, the more you save – $75/hour for 1 to 4 hours, dropping to $70/hour for 5 hours or more.

Where AI makes the difference
I don’t just bring my skills and experience – I also harness AI to work faster and smarter for you.

• Faster turnaround: AI helps with initial drafts, design inspiration, and research so I can deliver results in less time.
• More creative options: Need marketing ideas, fresh headlines, or a unique presentation concept? AI adds a second layer of creative thinking to my own.
• Smarter solutions: By running your challenges through AI tools, I can explore new ways to solve problems or streamline workflows.
• Cost savings: AI reduces the hours needed for certain tasks, so you get more value for your budget.

The numbers – full-time comparison

• Full-time employee at $30/hour: Total cost around $80,208/year, effective hourly rate $76.30 after adding all extras and factoring productivity.
• VA at $70/hour: 10 hours/week for a year = $36,400 total. Fully productive. No extras.
• Annual saving: $43,808.

The numbers – part-time comparison (10 hrs/week)
When we factor in everything for a part-time employee at $30/hour:

• Base salary, KiwiSaver, ACC.
• Overheads, equipment, and recruitment (spread over a 3-year average tenure).
• Paid leave (annual, sick, public holidays, bereavement – worst case).
• Training and professional development.
• Extra app subscriptions.

That comes to $30,602/year. With 60% productivity, the effective hourly rate jumps to $136.01 per productive hour.

The VA alternative? $36,400/year at 100% productivity – and you get the AI edge.