Compare the Top Foundation Models in New Zealand as of October 2026

What are Foundation Models in New Zealand?

Foundation models are large-scale artificial intelligence models trained on vast and diverse datasets that serve as the underlying technology for a wide range of AI applications. These models learn general-purpose capabilities such as language understanding, reasoning, image recognition, code generation, speech processing, and multimodal comprehension, allowing them to be adapted or fine-tuned for specific tasks across industries. Foundation models power applications including chatbots, AI agents, search, content generation, software development, scientific research, and business automation. Many are available through cloud APIs, open-source distributions, and enterprise AI platforms, supporting custom model development, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and domain-specific optimization. By providing reusable, general-purpose intelligence, foundation models enable organizations to accelerate AI development, reduce implementation costs, and build sophisticated AI-powered applications. Compare and read user reviews of the best Foundation Models in New Zealand currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.

  • 1
    Gemini 4 Argon
    Gemini 4 Argon is a frontier artificial intelligence model developed by Google DeepMind for complex reasoning, software engineering, cybersecurity, and professional knowledge work. The model supports multimodal inputs, including text, images, audio, video, and PDF documents, with a unified context window of approximately one million tokens. Its advanced reasoning capabilities enable it to analyze difficult problems, maintain context across lengthy workflows, and execute multistep tasks. Gemini 4 Argon supports autonomous AI agents, code generation, application development, scientific research, and analysis of legal and financial information. Developer capabilities include function calling, code execution, structured outputs, search grounding, and preview support for computer use. The model is available through the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, Google Antigravity, and supported Gemini applications and enterprise services.
    Starting Price: $2 per 1M tokens (input)
  • 2
    Claude Sonnet 5.5
    Claude Sonnet 5.5 is Anthropic’s mid-tier Claude 5.5 model designed for fast, well-scoped everyday work, coding, and professional document creation. Anthropic says it runs more than 30% faster than Claude Sonnet 5 and typically costs up to 30% less per task while keeping the same base token pricing. The model shows major gains in agentic coding, with a 70.6% score on Terminal-Bench 4.0 and stronger performance on FrontierCode and CursorBench than its predecessor. Sonnet 5.5 also performs strongly on knowledge work, computer use, chart understanding, and long-horizon tasks, in some cases approaching Claude Opus 5.5 at higher effort settings. Anthropic positions it as especially useful for debugging, routine coding, collaboration, and producing polished documents, slides, spreadsheets, and user interfaces. Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available across Anthropic’s platforms as well as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
    Starting Price: $2 per 1M tokens (input)
  • 3
    GPT-6 Astra
    GPT-6 Astra is OpenAI’s frontier AI model for computer use, software engineering, scientific research, cybersecurity, browsing, and complex professional work. It combines advanced reasoning with agentic capabilities that allow it to navigate software, use tools, conduct research, manipulate data, troubleshoot systems, and complete multistep workflows. Astra is also designed to produce polished documents, spreadsheets, presentations, websites, applications, and other business or technical artifacts while following existing templates and organizational standards. In Codex, the model introduces improved long-running context management that can preserve notes and retrieve information from earlier context windows during extended software engineering tasks. OpenAI positions Astra as its most aligned model to date, with improvements in respecting task boundaries, interpreting user intent, communicating limitations, and avoiding unauthorized actions.
    Starting Price: $10 per 1M tokens (input)
  • 4
    Claude Fable 5.1
    Claude Fable 5.1 is Anthropic’s advanced AI model for coding, knowledge work, research, and long-running agentic tasks. It is designed to improve on Claude Fable 5 with stronger performance across software engineering, scientific research, multidisciplinary reasoning, computer use, business workflows, and complex problem solving. The model can handle extended multi-step work, verify its own results, diagnose difficult software issues, and operate effectively across tool-heavy workflows. Anthropic also reduced cache-read pricing for Fable 5.1, lowering typical usage costs compared with Fable 5 and creating larger savings for highly agentic workloads. Fable 5.1 includes updated safeguards intended to reduce false positives while allowing more legitimate cybersecurity tasks such as vulnerability discovery for defensive purposes. The model is available through Claude products, the Claude API, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
    Starting Price: $10 per 1M tokens (input)
  • 5
    Claude Mythos 5.1
    Claude Mythos 5.1 is Anthropic’s newest Mythos-class model, designed for advanced cybersecurity, biology, scientific research, coding, and long-running knowledge work. It is the same underlying model as Claude Fable 5.1 but uses different safeguards: Fable 5.1 is generally available, while Mythos 5.1 is restricted to trusted access programs with safeguards specifically designed for cybersecurity and life sciences research. The model sets a new performance frontier for agentic coding and demonstrates the strongest cyber capabilities of any Anthropic model released to date. In scientific research, Mythos 5.1 can work with specialized tools and complex workflows across molecular design, computational biology, and other technical domains. In Anthropic’s experiments, it designed high-affinity protein binders across multiple targets and achieved its strongest measured hit rate to date. It also optimized seven open-source protein and genomics deep learning models.
  • 6
    GPT-6 Sol
    GPT-6 Sol is an OpenAI model designed to bring GPT-6-class intelligence to professional work, coding, computer use, and agentic workflows at a lower cost than GPT-6 Astra. The model improves on GPT-5.6 Sol in factual reliability, software engineering, business automation, and long-horizon computer tasks. Developers can adjust reasoning effort depending on task complexity, allowing Sol to allocate more computation to difficult problems while using less for simpler work. GPT-6 Sol also introduces a clearer collaboration style with less jargon, fewer unnecessary details, and more concise technical communication. Improved prompt caching helps agents reuse long contexts more efficiently while reducing latency and cached-input costs. GPT-6 Sol is available through ChatGPT Work, Codex, and the OpenAI API as gpt-6-sol.
    Starting Price: $2 per 1M tokens (input)
  • 7
    Claude Opus 5.5
    Claude Opus 5.5 is Anthropic’s advanced AI model for agentic coding, complex knowledge work, computer use, research, and long-running professional tasks. It is designed to handle large codebases, multi-step workflows, financial analysis, document creation, software audits, and other demanding workloads with improved efficiency over Claude Opus 5. Anthropic reports that Opus 5.5 uses fewer tokens per task, produces output more than 30% faster, and costs less to run than its predecessor. The model also improves communication quality by putting important information first, reducing unnecessary jargon, and following writing instructions more consistently. Safety enhancements include stronger prompt-injection resistance, action screening, sandboxing support, code review, behavioral alignment testing, and safeguards for high-risk cybersecurity & biology. Claude Opus 5.5 is available through Claude, Claude Code, the Claude Platform API, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
    Starting Price: $4 per 1M tokens (input)
  • 8
    GPT-6 Luna
    GPT-6 Luna is OpenAI’s cost-efficient GPT-6 model designed for everyday professional work, coding, computer use, and agentic applications at scale. It brings many of the advances introduced with GPT-6 Astra to a faster and substantially lower-cost model while improving on GPT-5.6 Luna in capability and factual reliability. The model supports adjustable reasoning effort, allowing applications to spend more compute on harder tasks and less on simpler requests. GPT-6 Luna can handle software engineering, multi-step business workflows, computer interaction, and other tool-using tasks that benefit from low operating cost. Improved GPT-6 prompt caching helps long-running agents reuse more context, respond faster, and reduce the cost of repeated input. GPT-6 Luna is available in ChatGPT Work, Codex, the ChatGPT desktop app for Free and Go users, and the OpenAI API as gpt-6-luna.