Brandwave

How popular isUniversity of Waikato?

In September 2026, people searched for University of Waikato by name about 54,200 times in New Zealand, a 22.1% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 14.9% of all New Zealand university searches, placing University of Waikato fifth out of eight universities. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about universities, University of Waikato appeared in two of the four answers and was the sixth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

University of Waikato is the fifth most searched of 8 competitors and the sixth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. University of AucklandShare of searches 18.7%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Victoria University of WellingtonShare of searches 15.8%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. Massey UniversityShare of searches 15.2%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. AUTShare of searches 14.9%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  5. University of WaikatoShare of searches 14.9%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top universities in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, University of Waikato was mentioned in two out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. University of Waikato is the sixth most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. University of Auckland1st
  2. University of Otago2nd
  3. University of Canterbury3rd
  4. Victoria University of Wellington4th
  5. Massey University5th
  6. University of Waikato6th
  7. Lincoln University7th
  8. AUT8th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • University of Auckland4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Victoria University of Wellington4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • University of Canterbury4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • University of Otago4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Massey University3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • AUT3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • University of Waikato2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Lincoln University2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about universities

4 answers

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

Which universities compete with University of Waikato?

University of Waikato against universities in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, AUT, University of Waikato, University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, University of Otago. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthUniversity of AucklandVictoria University of WellingtonMassey UniversityAUTUniversity of WaikatoUniversity of CanterburyLincoln UniversityUniversity of Otago
Oct 202519.4%12.3%16.8%17.2%12.7%9.5%5.6%6.4%
Nov 202522.2%11.5%15.7%16.2%13.2%8.9%6.4%5.9%
Dec 202518.9%12.9%18.3%14.1%12.5%10.4%6.1%6.9%
Jan 202623.5%11.2%15.2%13.3%12.8%10.5%6.3%7.1%
Feb 202616.9%14.1%14.7%15.1%13.8%11.3%6.6%7.6%
Mar 202622.5%13.5%12.5%13.6%18.4%9.2%5.3%5%
Apr 202619.9%14.3%16.2%13%15.9%9.7%5.6%5.3%
May 202621.7%14.3%15.5%13.1%14.5%9.8%5.7%5.4%
Jun 202623%13.5%15.3%13.7%15%9.2%5.4%5%
Jul 202620.1%15.7%14.3%14.8%14.8%9%6.3%5%
Aug 202621.5%13.8%15.4%15.8%12.9%9.7%5.6%5.3%
Sep 202618.7%15.8%15.2%14.9%14.9%9.1%6.4%5%

  1. 1.University of Auckland

    18.7%

    Held 1st. 67.8K estimated branded searches, -24.8% vs prior month. Share -2.9 points.

  2. 2.Victoria University of Wellington

    15.8%

    Moved from 4th to 2nd. 57.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2.1 points.

  3. 3.Massey University

    15.2%

    Held 3rd. 55.3K estimated branded searches, -14% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  4. 4.AUT

    14.9%

    Moved from 2nd to 4th. 54.2K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  5. 5.University of Waikato

    14.9%

    Held 5th. 54.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2 points.

  6. 6.University of Canterbury

    9.1%

    Held 6th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  7. 7.Lincoln University

    6.4%

    Held 7th. 23.2K estimated branded searches, -1.3% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  8. 8.University of Otago

    5%

    Held 8th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

Compare popularity between University of Waikato and its closest rivals

Every comparison with University of Waikato

7 comparisons

How has branded search demand for University of Waikato changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for University of Waikato in New Zealand rose from 44.4K to 54.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, University of Waikato’s share of searches among universities in New Zealand increased from 12.7% to 14.9%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, University of Waikato’s share of searches among universities in New Zealand peaked at 18.4% in March 2026 and was lowest at 12.5% in December 2025.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, University of Waikato fell from 4th to 5th among universities in New Zealand.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Victoria University of Wellington overtook AUT and Massey University to rank 2nd among universities in New Zealand, with 15.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, University of Waikato gained share of searches among universities in New Zealand, from 12.9% to 14.9%.

  3. In September 2026, Lincoln University gained share of searches among universities in New Zealand, from 5.6% to 6.4%.

  4. In September 2026, University of Auckland lost share of searches among universities in New Zealand, from 21.5% to 18.7%.

  5. In September 2026, AUT lost share of searches among universities in New Zealand, from 15.8% to 14.9%.

  6. In September 2026, University of Canterbury lost share of searches among universities in New Zealand, from 9.7% to 9.1%.

How are University of Waikato’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using University of Waikato’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.

  • university of waikato
  • waikato uni
  • waikato university

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