Software Architecture Consulting in New Zealand
Senior eyes on your hardest problems, before you spend the budget. The same judgement we use running our own nine live products, applied to yours.
Sometimes the highest-value engineering work is not a build, it is an outside, senior opinion before you commit the budget: an architecture review before a big rebuild, a legacy system nobody wants to touch, or an honest read on whether an AI plan is realistic before you build the wrong feature.
Corvidae offers software architecture consulting for New Zealand businesses, brought by an engineer who is also accountable for the architecture of nine live products running in production today. Advice here is not theoretical, it is the same judgement applied to our own systems.
Who it is for
- Teams about to commit significant budget to a rebuild or new platform
- Businesses acquiring or investing in a company with a codebase to assess
- Organisations with a legacy system nobody wants to own or extend
- Teams evaluating whether an AI initiative is realistic before funding it
- In-house engineering teams that want a senior second opinion, not a replacement
Problems we solve
- A rebuild decision made without a clear architecture review first
- Technical due diligence needed before an acquisition or investment, on a tight timeline
- A legacy system that has become too risky to change and too costly to leave alone
- An AI roadmap built on assumptions nobody has pressure-tested
- No senior technical voice in the room for a major decision
What we build
Architecture review
An independent assessment of a proposed or existing architecture, covering scalability, security, maintainability and cost, with a written report.
Legacy modernisation
A practical plan for a legacy system: what to replace, what to leave alone, and in what order, rather than a call to rewrite everything at once.
Technical due diligence
A structured review of a codebase, infrastructure and engineering practices for an acquisition, investment or merger, delivered on the timeline a deal requires.
AI readiness
An honest assessment of whether a proposed AI feature is technically realistic, what it would cost to run, and what data readiness it actually needs.
Cloud architecture
Review of AWS or other cloud architecture against cost, reliability and security, informed by running our own infrastructure at scale.
Security review
A review of authentication, authorisation, secrets handling and data protection practices against common failure modes, not a generic checklist.
Fractional technical leadership
Ongoing senior technical input for a team without a resident architect, at a fraction of a full-time hire.
Technology
How we deliver
Scope
A short call to understand the decision you are trying to make, and what evidence would settle it.
Review
A structured assessment of the code, architecture or plan in question.
Report
A written report with specific, prioritised findings, not a vague slide deck.
Follow through
Available to help implement the recommendations, or to hand them to your own team.
Production proof
Every architecture decision behind our own nine live products has been made and reviewed by the same senior engineer you would talk to.
Corvidae builds and operates its own production SaaS products, so architecture decisions are made with real operating cost, uptime, security, support and users in mind.
Security and quality
- Reviews follow structured, OWASP-aligned security checks and standard architecture heuristics, not opinion alone
- Findings are written down and prioritised, so they survive after the conversation ends
- We are explicit about confidence level: what we are sure of versus what needs further investigation
- Confidentiality is standard for any codebase or data we review
Engagement model
Consulting engagements are usually a fixed-price, time-boxed review with a written report, sized to the decision at hand: a few days for a focused architecture review, longer for full technical due diligence.
Some clients bring us back on a fractional, ongoing basis as a senior technical voice for their team, without hiring a full-time architect.
Frequently asked questions
Do you review architecture without doing the build?
Yes. Architecture review and technical due diligence are stand-alone engagements. We are also available to help implement the recommendations if you want the same team to continue.
What is technical due diligence and when do I need it?
A structured review of a codebase, infrastructure and engineering practices, typically needed before an acquisition, investment or merger where a company's software is part of the value being assessed.
Can you assess whether our AI plan is realistic?
Yes. We give an honest read on technical feasibility, likely running cost and data readiness, informed by running AI features in our own products, not by an AI trend report.
Do you offer ongoing fractional CTO or architect time?
Yes, for teams that want a senior technical voice without a full-time hire.
How do you approach legacy system modernisation?
With a practical, prioritised plan: what genuinely needs replacing, what can be left alone, and in what order, rather than a blanket call to rewrite everything.
Will you tell us if a rebuild is not necessary?
Yes. An honest assessment sometimes concludes that a rebuild is not justified, and we will say so even though it means less work for us.
Can you review security without disrupting our team?
Yes. Most security reviews are conducted against code, configuration and documentation with limited interviews, so they do not require pulling your engineers off their work for long.
Have a product in mind?
Tell us what you want to build. We reply within one business day with an honest read on scope, cost and timeline.
Start the conversation