Brandwave

Plunket vs Starship Foundation:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Plunket had more branded searches than Starship Foundation among child and family charities in New Zealand. Plunket had about 5,030 branded searches, while Starship Foundation had 740. Plunket made up 43.9% of all child and family charity searches we track, and Starship Foundation accounted for 6.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about child and family charities, Plunket appeared in one of the four answers and Starship Foundation in none.

Among child and family charities in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Plunket, about 7 searches for every 1 for Starship Foundation

Plunket 5K searchesStarship Foundation 740 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Plunket, mentioned in 1 of 4 answers, Starship Foundation in 0

Plunket in 1 of 4Starship Foundation in 0 of 4

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Top child and family charities in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Plunket was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Starship Foundation did not appear in any of the four answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Barnardos Early Learning1st
  2. Variety2nd
  3. Plunket3rd
  4. ChildFund New Zealand4th
  5. Ronald McDonald House Charities5th
  6. IHC New Zealand–
  7. Starship Foundation–
  8. Make-A-Wish NZ–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Barnardos Early Learning3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Variety2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • ChildFund New Zealand2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Plunket1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Ronald McDonald House Charities1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • IHC New Zealand0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Starship Foundation0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Make-A-Wish NZ0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about child and family charities

4 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 20, 2026.

Is Plunket or Starship Foundation more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Plunket and Starship Foundation by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine child and family charities we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Plunket and Starship Foundation among child and family charities in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Plunket, Starship Foundation. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPlunketBarnardos Early LearningVarietyIHC New ZealandStarship FoundationChildFund New ZealandMake-A-Wish NZRonald McDonald House Charities
Oct 202540.5%22.5%10.4%8.6%8.5%2.8%3%3.7%
Nov 202538%16.9%18.8%8.3%9.2%3.6%2.3%2.8%
Dec 202535.8%16.9%18.8%9.6%9.6%3.7%2.8%2.8%
Jan 202638%20.5%15.2%8.1%8.1%3.8%2.8%3.5%
Feb 202630.4%19.7%21.9%9.6%9.4%2.9%2.7%3.3%
Mar 202631.9%25.1%15.7%9%8.8%4%2.8%2.8%
Apr 202639%20.7%12.4%10.1%8%3.5%3.5%2.8%
May 202639%21.4%13.1%9.3%9.4%2%2.3%3.5%
Jun 202638.1%16.6%15.5%9.2%7.9%2.3%2.8%7.7%
Jul 202644.3%16.4%15.6%7.9%6.4%3.2%2.8%3.4%
Aug 202650.6%15.9%9.5%7.7%6.1%2.5%2.7%4.9%
Sep 202643.9%20.9%12.6%9.3%6.5%2.8%2.3%1.8%

How has the Plunket and Starship Foundation comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand child and family charities in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Plunket lost share of searches among child and family charities in New Zealand, from 50.6% to 43.9%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Starship Foundation in New Zealand fell 17.8% over 12 measured months, from 900 to 740 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

14 search terms

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

Plunket

10 branded search terms

  • plunket dunedin
  • plunket line
  • plunket lower hutt
  • plunket palmerston north
  • plunket papakura
  • plunket queenstown
  • plunket rotorua
  • plunketline
  • plunketline 0800
  • plunketline number

Starship Foundation

4 branded search terms

  • starship foundation
  • starship foundation board
  • starshipfoundation
  • the starship foundation

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among child and family charities

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