Figures below are directional/order-of-magnitude, not verified against a primary source yet. Treat as a starting hypothesis for Kelvin to sanity-check against his network, not as settled market sizing.

Quick market read

• NZ has roughly 4,000–5,000 vehicle repair/service businesses (MTA-affiliated plus independents), the large majority under 10 staff — a genuinely long-tail, fragmented market. That shape favors a channel-and-relationship go-to-market over enterprise sales.
• WOF (Warrant of Fitness) inspection and certain repair categories carry real regulatory/certification obligations tied to individual technicians — a forcing function. This isn’t discretionary “nice to have” training; it’s tied to being allowed to do the work.
• The Motor Trade Association (MTA) is the dominant industry body and existing hub for standards, training, and member services. Needs mapping explicitly as a potential channel partner or a competitive threat if they build/endorse something themselves.
• Adjacent verticals with the same shape (small regulated operators, individual-license tracking, complaints/CAPA obligations), once automotive is proven: electricians, plumbers/gasfitters, aged care and allied health providers, hairdressing/beauty (licensing), hospitality (food safety).

Competitive landscape to map

Category	Examples to research	Why it matters
Enterprise LMS bent into QMS	Totara + implementation partners	The incumbent pain being targeted directly
Generic QMS/compliance software	Qualsys, ComplianceQuest, generic ISO 9001 tools	Feature-rich but not vertical, still needs configuration
Frontline/ops tools that could creep in	SafetyCulture (iAuditor), Vault Platform	SafetyCulture in particular has “good enough, cheap, simple” DNA that small operators already trust
NZ-specific trade compliance tools	(needs a live search — space moves fast)	Direct competitor check
MTA’s own member tools	Whatever MTA currently provides members	Could be partner or competitor depending on positioning
Status quo	Spreadsheets / paper / “nothing”	The real main competitor for most of the addressable market

Open items

• Live competitor search hasn’t been run yet — the table above is a research map, not a completed teardown.
• No customer interviews conducted yet — see research/ once that starts.