Rico
Rico is a New Zealand-based cloud SaaS company that builds a planning workflow platform with AI drafting, GIS integration, and configurable templates for resource consent processing, serving local government councils and planning consultancies across New Zealand and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Rico does
Rico Technologies Limited is a New Zealand-based cloud SaaS company founded in February 2020 in Auckland by CEO Foss Shanahan and CTO Max Lay. The company builds a planning workflow platform that helps local government councils and planning consultancies produce resource consent and planning reports more quickly and consistently. The software structures previously manual Word-based drafting into guided workflows, integrates with council GIS systems to pull zoning, overlays, and spatial data into assessments, and loads local, regional, and national plan provisions into configurable templates that audit each decision.
The platform is composed of three go-to-market lines: Rico for Councils, Rico for Consultancies, and a Rico AI add-on that generates draft planning content (site descriptions, AEE sections, specialist memos, and email briefs) using project context, checklists, and the customer's own templates. Rico is built on AWS infrastructure with Auth0 by Okta handling SAML authentication and role-based access control, and supports public and authenticated council GIS integration. An API is in development to connect Rico with core customer systems.
Rico operates a direct enterprise sales motion combined with a freemium self-serve Test Drive tier. Pricing combines a one-time implementation fee with a monthly subscription that scales with project volumes, plus fixed-fee pilots for proof-of-value engagements. The company has named customers including Selwyn District Council, New Plymouth District Council, Gisborne District Council, Environment Canterbury Regional Council, and City of Marion, alongside several planning consultancies such as Campbell Brown Planning, Novo Group, Civix, Chester Consultants, and Tripp Andrews. With a team of approximately 8-9 people, Rico is pursuing ISO 27001 certification to strengthen enterprise government procurement positioning.
Rico firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rico
- Legal name
- Rico Technologies Limited
- Website
- https://rico.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Rico is a New Zealand-based cloud SaaS company that builds a planning workflow platform with AI drafting, GIS integration, and configurable templates for resource consent processing, serving local government councils and planning consultancies across New Zealand and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rico industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Planning Workflow Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (51321)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- iBPMS (Intelligent BPM Suites) & Process Automation Suites (HDAEAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)
Keywords
Where Rico is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rico business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription - Full Access: Monthly subscription combining implementation fee with ongoing access to unlimited workflows and templates. Scales with project volumes.
- Usage-based Component: Pricing scales with project volumes. Per-application billing model that is cost-recoverable on each project.
- Pilot Program: Fixed fee for pilot phase with Plan and GIS integrations and custom workflow configuration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free hands-on access to default templates and core functions |
| Subscription | Monthly | Full access with unlimited workflows and templates |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Pilot with custom configuration and integrations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Rico product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rico is a cloud-based SaaS platform that automates planning decision-making and report drafting for resource consent and planning workflows. It combines configurable no-code workflows, GIS integration with council planning instruments, smart checklists, and an opt-in AI drafting module (Rico AI) to generate structured, auditable planning reports. The product is sold to local government councils and planning consultancies in New Zealand and Australia under a subscription model with one-time implementation fees.
Product overview
Rico is a unified planning workflow platform consisting of a core web-based software with integrated AI capabilities. The platform includes three primary product lines: Rico (core platform), Rico for Councils, and Rico for Consultancies. The ecosystem is built around workflow components including Smart Workflows, GIS Integration, Plan Assessments, Checklists, and Site Capture. Rico AI serves as an add-on module providing generative AI drafting capabilities. The platform integrates directly with council GIS systems and local planning instruments, offering both public API connectivity and SAML-based single sign-on for enterprise deployments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rico Core Platform Web-based report-drafting software for planning teams that reduces time spent on planning decisions by automating report generation, providing guided workflows through rules and assessments, and integrating with GIS systems to pull site data automatically.
- Rico for Councils Purpose-built consent processing platform for local authorities that transforms existing Word templates into guided digital workflows with automated GIS integration, standardised plan assessments, and custom configuration tailored to each council's processes.
- Rico for Consultancies Report-drafting solution for planning consultancies that helps planners prepare clear, accurate applications through GIS integration, automated plan assessments, and customisable configuration for consistent report formatting.
- Rico AI Built-in AI assistant that generates draft planning content including site descriptions, proposal sections, Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) sections, specialist memos, and team briefs using project data captured in Rico combined with user's own templates. Opt-in feature with full transparency and planner control, and privacy-first approach where customer data is not used to train public models.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35% reduction in decision-making time
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Rico
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rico technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability6 records
Feature7 records
Rico partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreCloud infrastructure provider hosting all Rico web services with industry standard security and encryption. Primary infrastructure backbone for the SaaS platform.
- Auth0 by OktacoreUser authentication and authorization service ensuring secure access control. SAML authentication and role-based access control (RBAC) supported.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Rico competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OpenGov: Government technology company providing budgeting, planning, permitting, and civic engagement software to state and local governments in the US and Asia-Pacific. Comparable to Rico's vertical planning workflow offering for local authorities, particularly around permitting and process automation.
- Accela: US-headquartered government technology company that provides civic engagement, permitting, licensing, and asset management software to local and state government agencies. Directly comparable to Rico's planning and resource consent workflow for local government, though at a much larger scale and broader footprint.
- Granicus: Government experience and workflow platform serving over 5,500 public sector agencies with communications, service delivery, and process automation tools. Comparable to Rico's council-facing workflow positioning, with overlapping government digital transformation value proposition.
- Objective Corporation: Australian-listed provider of document, records, and process management software specifically built for government agencies across Australia and New Zealand. Highly comparable to Rico because it serves the same public-sector customers with workflow and document automation, and operates in the same ANZ geography.
Broad incumbents
- Esri (ArcGIS): Dominant GIS platform used by virtually all NZ and Australian local government councils for spatial planning. Comparable to Rico because GIS integration is a core Rico feature and Esri defines the spatial data layer Rico pulls from; however Esri is a horizontal platform while Rico sits on top as a workflow layer.
- Cityworks: GIS-centric asset and work management platform built on Esri ArcGIS for local government and utilities, including permitting and planning workflows. Comparable to Rico's council planning and GIS integration approach, though focused more on assets and operations than planning-specific report drafting.
- Civica: UK-headquartered government software vendor with a strong Australia/New Zealand presence offering document management, planning, regulatory, and back-office solutions to local government. Comparable to Rico in serving ANZ councils with workflow and planning software, though as a much larger incumbent.
- Tyler Technologies: Large US public-sector software provider with a broad portfolio including planning, permitting, and community development applications alongside ERP, courts, and public safety. Comparable to Rico's council-facing planning workflow but as part of a much wider suite sold to government.
Emerging players
- Templafy: Document generation and template automation platform with AI-assisted drafting for enterprise knowledge workers. Comparable to Rico AI as a domain-aware document automation tool with privacy and brand controls, but serving a horizontal enterprise audience rather than a planning vertical.
- Harvey AI: Domain-specific generative AI assistant for professional services firms (initially legal), built with private customer data and auditable outputs. Comparable to Rico AI in its vertical specialization, privacy-first approach, and emphasis on professional-grade accuracy and auditability rather than general-purpose use.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rico social profiles
Digital presenceRico compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Rico financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rico leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Rico funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rico M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rico
What does Rico do?
Rico is a cloud-based SaaS platform that automates planning decision-making and report drafting for resource consent and planning workflows. It combines configurable no-code workflows, GIS integration with council planning instruments, smart checklists, and an opt-in AI drafting module (Rico AI) to generate structured, auditable planning reports. The product is sold to local government councils and planning consultancies in New Zealand and Australia under a subscription model with one-time implementation fees.
Is Rico a public or private company?
Rico is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rico founded?
Rico was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Rico based?
Rico is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Rico make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Full Access are the primary driver. The others are usage-based Component and pilot Program.
Who are Rico's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OpenGov, Accela, Granicus and Objective Corporation. Broad incumbents are Esri (ArcGIS), Cityworks, Civica and Tyler Technologies. Emerging players are Templafy and Harvey AI.
Does Rico have an API?
Yes. Rico is in the process of documenting its API to enable integration with core systems. The API will allow functionality to create projects and populate project fields in Rico. This functionality depends on unique requirements of each customer and further information is available on request. Rico initially implements without this in the first instance to get planners up and running before seeking further integrations.
What industry is Rico in?
Rico's product category is Planning Workflow Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAHAG, iBPMS (Intelligent BPM Suites) & Process Automation Suites, with a secondary code of BPAMANAK, GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.