Brandwave

How popular isNZ Herald?

In September 2026, people searched for NZ Herald by name about 1.7 million times in New Zealand, a 17.6% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 55.4% of all New Zealand news publisher searches, placing NZ Herald first out of 11 publishers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about news publishers, NZ Herald appeared in three of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the 11.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

NZ Herald is the most searched of 11 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. NZ HeraldShare of searches 55.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. RNZShare of searches 18.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. 1NewsShare of searches 13.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. Otago Daily TimesShare of searches 7.5%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 10th
  5. The PressShare of searches 2.1%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

+6 more

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Top news publishers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, NZ Herald was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. NZ Herald is the third most recommended of the 11.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. RNZ1st
  2. Stuff2nd
  3. NZ Herald3rd
  4. 1News4th
  5. The Spinoff5th
  6. Newsroom6th
  7. The Press7th
  8. BusinessDesk8th
  9. interest.co.nz9th
  10. Otago Daily Times10th
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • RNZ4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • 1News4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Stuff4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • NZ Herald3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Spinoff3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Newsroom2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • BusinessDesk2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Otago Daily Times1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Press1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • interest.co.nz1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about news publishers

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which news publishers compete with NZ Herald?

NZ Herald against news publishers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for NZ Herald, RNZ, 1News, Otago Daily Times, The Press. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNZ HeraldRNZ1NewsOtago Daily TimesThe Pressinterest.co.nzThe SpinoffThe PostNewsroomBusinessDeskStuff
Oct 202531.6%8.6%6.2%5%1.2%0.56%0.51%0.4%0.32%0.05%45.6%
Nov 202534%8.3%6.7%4.6%1.1%0.6%0.51%0.44%0.34%0.07%43.3%
Dec 202534.2%8.3%6.8%4.6%1.1%0.48%0.45%0.36%0.26%0.05%43.4%
Jan 202630.9%9%7.3%4.1%0.97%0.42%0.37%0.32%0.31%0.04%46.3%
Feb 202630.5%8.8%7.2%4.8%1.2%0.51%0.44%0.39%0.27%0.06%45.8%
Mar 202630.6%8.9%7.3%4.1%0.97%0.52%0.49%0.37%0.37%0.05%46.4%
Apr 202630.6%9%7.3%4%0.97%0.51%0.45%0.32%0.25%0.05%46.5%
May 202628%9.2%6.6%4.5%1.1%0.47%0.54%0.35%0.28%0.06%49%
Jun 202628.2%8.2%6.7%4.5%1.1%0.48%0.5%0.41%0.28%0.06%49.6%
Jul 202631%8.5%6.1%4.3%1%0.45%0.41%0.33%0.26%0.07%47.6%
Aug 202630.8%8.5%6.4%4.2%1.2%0.44%0.56%0.38%0.31%0.07%47.2%
Sep 202655.4%18.2%13.1%7.5%2.1%1.1%1.1%0.78%0.68%0.12%—

  1. 1.NZ Herald

    55.4%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 1.7M estimated branded searches, -16.4% vs prior month. Share +24.6 points.

  2. 2.RNZ

    18.2%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 573K estimated branded searches, -0.19% vs prior month. Share +9.7 points.

  3. 3.1News

    13.1%

    Moved from 4th to 3rd. 412K estimated branded searches, -4.7% vs prior month. Share +6.7 points.

  4. 4.Otago Daily Times

    7.5%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 235K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share +3.2 points.

  5. 5.The Press

    2.1%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 66.7K estimated branded searches, -17.9% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  6. 6.interest.co.nz

    1.1%

    Moved from 8th to 6th. 36K estimated branded searches, +20% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  7. 7.The Spinoff

    1.1%

    Held 7th. 34K estimated branded searches, -10.9% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  8. 8.The Post

    0.78%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 24.7K estimated branded searches, -5% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  9. 9.Newsroom

    0.68%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 21.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  10. 10.BusinessDesk

    0.12%

    Moved from 11th to 10th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -19.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. —.Stuff

    —

    Not measured this month. — estimated branded searches, — vs prior month. Share —.

Compare popularity between NZ Herald and its closest rivals

Every comparison with NZ Herald

10 comparisons

How has branded search demand for NZ Herald changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for NZ Herald in New Zealand fell from 2.1M to 1.7M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NZ Herald’s share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand increased from 31.6% to 55.4%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NZ Herald’s share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand peaked at 55.4% in September 2026 and was lowest at 28% in May 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NZ Herald rose from 2nd to 1st among news publishers in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand news publishers in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, interest.co.nz overtook The Spinoff to rank 6th among news publishers in New Zealand, with 1.1% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, NZ Herald gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 30.8% to 55.4%.

  3. In September 2026, RNZ gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 8.5% to 18.2%.

  4. In September 2026, 1News gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 6.4% to 13.1%.

  5. In September 2026, Otago Daily Times gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 4.2% to 7.5%.

  6. In September 2026, The Press gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 1.2% to 2.1%.

How are NZ Herald’s branded searches counted?

12 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using NZ Herald’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • herald
  • herald news
  • herald nz
  • herald quiz
  • new zealand herald quiz
  • NZ Herald
  • nz herald news
  • nz herald quiz
  • nz herald sport
  • nz herald subscriptions
  • nzherald
  • the herald

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns NZ Herald?

NZ Herald is owned by NZME. Brandwave also tracks BusinessDesk, Coast, Newstalk ZB, Radio Hauraki, The Hits and ZM, owned by the same company, in New Zealand.

Do you work for NZ Herald? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

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