---
title: "Bubble tea chains in New Zealand: Which are searched most?"
description: "Chains selling bubble tea and milk tea in New Zealand. Share of Search among Gong cha, Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail, WUCHA, Chatime, Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea, ChaPanda, Noah's Ark Teahouse and Chia Cha, the bubble tea chains Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-bubble-tea-chains"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Bubble tea chains in New Zealand: Which are searched most?

Chains selling bubble tea and milk tea in New Zealand. Share of Search among Gong cha, Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail, WUCHA, Chatime, Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea, ChaPanda, Noah's Ark Teahouse and Chia Cha, the bubble tea chains Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Bubble tea chains
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 8
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Gong cha, 50.7%

## Which brand is most popular in search among bubble tea chains in New Zealand?

- In September 2026, Gong cha was the most searched among bubble tea chains in New Zealand, with an estimated 11.9K branded searches, 50.7% of all searches for the eight we track.
- Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail is in 2nd place, 27.6 percentage points behind at 23%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gong cha’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand decreased from 55.3% to 50.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand increased from 21.6% to 23%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WUCHA’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand increased from 9.5% to 12.4%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Chatime’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand decreased from 9.8% to 7.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand increased from 1.8% to 3.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ChaPanda’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand increased from 0.03% to 1.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gong cha’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand peaked at 58.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 50.7% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand peaked at 23% in September 2026 and was lowest at 18.4% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WUCHA’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand peaked at 12.4% in September 2026 and was lowest at 9.1% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Chatime’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand peaked at 9.8% in October 2025 and was lowest at 6.5% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand peaked at 3.1% in August 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ChaPanda’s share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand peaked at 6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 0.03% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WUCHA rose from 4th to 3rd among bubble tea chains in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Chatime fell from 3rd to 4th among bubble tea chains in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ChaPanda rose from 8th to 6th among bubble tea chains in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Noah's Ark Teahouse fell from 6th to 7th among bubble tea chains in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Chia Cha fell from 7th to 8th among bubble tea chains in New Zealand.

## Top bubble tea chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Gong cha and Chatime were mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Gong cha was recommended most often, coming first in all three answers that gave a list. Chatime was second, and Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea was third. ChaPanda, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Gong cha | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Chatime | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| WUCHA | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 |
| ChaPanda | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |
| Noah's Ark Teahouse | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |
| Chia Cha | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |

## Every AI answer about bubble tea chains

- Asked ChatGPT "Which bubble tea chain should I shop at in New Zealand?": 1. Gong cha, 2. Chatime, 3. Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best bubble tea chains in New Zealand?": 1. Gong cha, 2. Chatime, 3. Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea, 4. Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail, 5. WUCHA
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best bubble tea chain in New Zealand for tapioca drinks?": 1. Gong cha, 2. Chatime
- Searched Google, AI Overview "best bubble tea": 1. Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail, 2. Chatime
- Searched Google, AI Overview "milk tea nz": 1. Gong cha

Not named in any answer: ChaPanda, Noah's Ark Teahouse and Chia Cha.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Gong cha vs Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/gong-cha-vs-hulu-cat): 50.7% against 23% Share of Search.
- [Gong cha vs WUCHA: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/gong-cha-vs-wucha): 50.7% against 12.4% Share of Search.
- [Gong cha vs Chatime: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/chatime-vs-gong-cha): 50.7% against 7.1% Share of Search.
- [Gong cha vs Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/gong-cha-vs-yi-fang): 50.7% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail vs WUCHA: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hulu-cat-vs-wucha): 23% against 12.4% Share of Search.
- [Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail vs Chatime: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/chatime-vs-hulu-cat): 23% against 7.1% Share of Search.
- [Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail vs Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hulu-cat-vs-yi-fang): 23% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [WUCHA vs Chatime: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/chatime-vs-wucha): 12.4% against 7.1% Share of Search.
- [WUCHA vs Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/wucha-vs-yi-fang): 12.4% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [Chatime vs Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/chatime-vs-yi-fang): 7.1% against 3.1% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand bubble tea chains in September 2026?

- In September 2026, WUCHA gained share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand, from 9.5% to 12.4%.
- In September 2026, Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail gained share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand, from 21.4% to 23%.
- In September 2026, Chatime gained share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand, from 6.5% to 7.1%.
- In September 2026, Gong cha lost share of searches among bubble tea chains in New Zealand, from 56% to 50.7%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for ChaPanda in New Zealand rose 3800% over 12 measured months, from 10 to 390 in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea in New Zealand rose 30.9% over 12 measured months, from 550 to 720 in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Noah's Ark Teahouse in New Zealand fell 18.8% over 12 measured months, from 480 to 390 in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Chia Cha in New Zealand fell 16.7% over 12 measured months, from 120 to 100 in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Gong cha | 50.7% | 11.9K | -16.0% | Gong cha |
| 2 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 23% | 5.4K | 0.0% | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail |
| 3 | WUCHA | 12.4% | 2.9K | +20.8% | WUCHA |
| 4 | Chatime | 7.1% | 1.7K | +0.6% | Chatime |
| 5 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 3.1% | 720 | -7.7% | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea |
| 6 | ChaPanda | 1.7% | 390 | -18.8% | ChaPanda |
| 7 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 1.7% | 390 | +21.9% | Noah's Ark Teahouse |
| 8 | Chia Cha | 0.43% | 100 | 0.0% | Chia Cha |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Gong cha | 16.9K | 55.3% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 6.6K | 21.6% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Chatime | 3K | 9.8% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 9.5% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 550 | 1.8% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 480 | 1.6% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Chia Cha | 120 | 0.39% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | ChaPanda | 10 | 0.03% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Gong cha | 16.8K | 56.2% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 6.6K | 22.1% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 9.7% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Chatime | 2.5K | 8.3% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 480 | 1.6% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 430 | 1.4% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Chia Cha | 120 | 0.4% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | ChaPanda | 90 | 0.3% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Gong cha | 16.6K | 57.3% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 6.6K | 22.8% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 10% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Chatime | 1.9K | 6.7% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 390 | 1.3% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 360 | 1.2% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Chia Cha | 100 | 0.35% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | ChaPanda | 70 | 0.24% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Gong cha | 13.8K | 57% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 22.2% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | WUCHA | 2.4K | 9.9% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Chatime | 1.6K | 6.7% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 440 | 1.8% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 390 | 1.6% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Chia Cha | 120 | 0.49% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | ChaPanda | 70 | 0.29% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Gong cha | 13.6K | 56.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 22.3% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | WUCHA | 2.4K | 9.9% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Chatime | 2K | 8.1% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 360 | 1.5% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 320 | 1.3% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Chia Cha | 80 | 0.33% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | ChaPanda | 70 | 0.29% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Gong cha | 14.1K | 53.3% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 20.4% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | WUCHA | 2.4K | 9.1% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Chatime | 2K | 7.4% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | ChaPanda | 1.6K | 6% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 500 | 1.9% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 390 | 1.5% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Chia Cha | 120 | 0.45% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Gong cha | 16.9K | 58.2% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 18.6% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 10% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Chatime | 2K | 6.8% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | ChaPanda | 880 | 3% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 570 | 2% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 320 | 1.1% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Chia Cha | 100 | 0.34% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Gong cha | 14.1K | 54.5% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 20.8% | 2 |
| May 2026 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 11.2% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Chatime | 2K | 7.6% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 660 | 2.5% | 5 |
| May 2026 | ChaPanda | 480 | 1.9% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 320 | 1.2% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Chia Cha | 80 | 0.31% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Gong cha | 14.1K | 58.9% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 4.4K | 18.4% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | WUCHA | 2.4K | 10% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Chatime | 1.7K | 7% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | ChaPanda | 480 | 2% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 450 | 1.9% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 320 | 1.3% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Chia Cha | 100 | 0.42% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Gong cha | 14.1K | 54.5% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 20.9% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 11.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Chatime | 1.9K | 7.5% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 640 | 2.5% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | ChaPanda | 390 | 1.5% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 390 | 1.5% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Chia Cha | 100 | 0.39% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Gong cha | 14.2K | 56% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 21.4% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | WUCHA | 2.4K | 9.5% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Chatime | 1.6K | 6.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 780 | 3.1% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | ChaPanda | 480 | 1.9% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 320 | 1.3% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Chia Cha | 100 | 0.4% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Gong cha | 11.9K | 50.7% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail | 5.4K | 23% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | WUCHA | 2.9K | 12.4% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Chatime | 1.7K | 7.1% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea | 720 | 3.1% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | ChaPanda | 390 | 1.7% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Noah's Ark Teahouse | 390 | 1.7% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Chia Cha | 100 | 0.43% | 8 |

## What is being compared

- **ChaPanda**: Measured on the search term “chapanda”.
- **Chatime**: Measured on the search terms “cha time bubble tea”, “cha time milk tea”, “cha time pearls”, “cha time taro”, “chatime”, “chatime boba”, “chatime bubble tea”, “chatime fruit tea”, “chatime matcha”, “chatime milk tea”, “chatime pearl”, “chatime queen street”, “chatime taro” and “chatime tea”, summed into one figure.
- **Chia Cha**: Measured on the search terms “chia cha” and “chiacha”, summed into one figure.
- **Gong cha**: Measured on the search terms “gong cha”, “gong cha boba”, “gong cha botany”, “gong cha cbd”, “gong cha city”, “gong cha delivery”, “gong cha dirtea”, “gong cha drink”, “gong cha hamilton”, “gong cha keychain”, “gong cha menu”, “gong cha order”, “gong cha tea” and “gongcha”, summed into one figure.
- **Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail**: Measured on the search terms “hulu cat” and “hulucat”, summed into one figure.
- **Noah's Ark Teahouse**: Measured on the search term “noahs ark teahouse”.
- **WUCHA**: Measured on the search term “wucha”.
- **Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea**: Measured on the search terms “yi fang”, “yi fang fruit tea”, “yi fang menu”, “yi fang taiwan fruit tea”, “yi fang tea”, “yifang”, “yifang bubble tea”, “yifang fruit tea”, “yifang menu”, “yifang taiwan fruit tea” and “yifang tea”, summed into one figure.

- [ChaPanda](/demand/nz/brands/chapanda)
- [Chatime](/demand/nz/brands/chatime)
- [Chia Cha](/demand/nz/brands/chia-cha)
- [Gong cha](/demand/nz/brands/gong-cha)
- [Hulu Cat Tea & Mocktail](/demand/nz/brands/hulu-cat)
- [Noah's Ark Teahouse](/demand/nz/brands/noahs-ark-teahouse)
- [WUCHA](/demand/nz/brands/wucha)
- [Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea](/demand/nz/brands/yi-fang)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among bubble tea chains in New Zealand?

In September 2026, Gong cha was the most searched among bubble tea chains in New Zealand, with an estimated 11.9K branded searches, 50.7% of all searches for the eight we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Bubble tea chains in New Zealand: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-bubble-tea-chains

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-bubble-tea-chains. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.