---
title: "Early childhood education providers in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare the daycare and kindergarten providers New Zealand families enrol their children with. Share of Search among BestStart, Active Explorers, Kindercare, Barnardos Early Learning and Evolve Education, the early childhood education providers 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-early-childhood-providers"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Early childhood education providers in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare the daycare and kindergarten providers New Zealand families enrol their children with. Share of Search among BestStart, Active Explorers, Kindercare, Barnardos Early Learning and Evolve Education, the early childhood education providers 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**: Early childhood education providers
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: BestStart, 57%

## Which brand is most popular in search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand?

- In August 2026, BestStart was the most searched among early childhood education providers in New Zealand, with an estimated 15.6K branded searches and 57% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Active Explorers is in 2nd place, 39.5 percentage points behind at 17.5% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, BestStart’s estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand increased from 53.1% to 57%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Kindercare’s estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand decreased from 16.2% to 14.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnardos Early Learning’s estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand decreased from 10.1% to 8.2%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, BestStart’s estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand peaked at 57.7% in July 2026 and was lowest at 53.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Active Explorers’ estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand peaked at 18.6% in June 2026 and was lowest at 15.3% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Kindercare’s estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand peaked at 19.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 14.3% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnardos Early Learning’s estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand peaked at 10.2% in March 2026 and was lowest at 8.1% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Active Explorers and Evolve Education held steady: their estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [BestStart vs Active Explorers: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/active-explorers-vs-beststart): 57% against 17.5% Share of Search.
- [BestStart vs Kindercare: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/beststart-vs-kindercare): 57% against 14.4% Share of Search.
- [BestStart vs Barnardos Early Learning: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/barnardos-early-learning-vs-beststart): 57% against 8.2% Share of Search.
- [BestStart vs Evolve Education: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/beststart-vs-evolve-education): 57% against 3% Share of Search.
- [Active Explorers vs Kindercare: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/active-explorers-vs-kindercare): 17.5% against 14.4% Share of Search.
- [Active Explorers vs Barnardos Early Learning: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/active-explorers-vs-barnardos-early-learning): 17.5% against 8.2% Share of Search.
- [Active Explorers vs Evolve Education: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/active-explorers-vs-evolve-education): 17.5% against 3% Share of Search.
- [Kindercare vs Barnardos Early Learning: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/barnardos-early-learning-vs-kindercare): 14.4% against 8.2% Share of Search.
- [Kindercare vs Evolve Education: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/evolve-education-vs-kindercare): 14.4% against 3% Share of Search.
- [Barnardos Early Learning vs Evolve Education: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/barnardos-early-learning-vs-evolve-education): 8.2% against 3% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand early childhood education providers in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Evolve Education gained estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand, from 2.4% to 3%.
- In August 2026, BestStart lost estimated Share of Search among early childhood education providers in New Zealand, from 57.7% to 57%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Barnardos Early Learning in New Zealand fell 18.5% over 11 measured months, from 2.8K to 2.2K in August 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Kindercare in New Zealand fell 10.2% over 11 measured months, from 4.4K to 4K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | BestStart | 57% | 15.6K | -1.0% | BestStart |
| 2 | Active Explorers | 17.5% | 4.8K | +2.4% | Active Explorers |
| 3 | Kindercare | 14.4% | 4K | +1.3% | Kindercare |
| 4 | Barnardos Early Learning | 8.2% | 2.2K | -3.9% | Barnardos Early Learning |
| 5 | Evolve Education | 3% | 820 | +22.4% | Evolve Education |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | BestStart | 14.4K | 53.1% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Active Explorers | 4.8K | 17.7% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Kindercare | 4.4K | 16.2% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.8K | 10.1% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Evolve Education | 800 | 2.9% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | BestStart | 16.1K | 57.5% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Active Explorers | 4.7K | 16.8% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Kindercare | 4.1K | 14.7% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.3K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Evolve Education | 810 | 2.9% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | BestStart | 12.7K | 54.3% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Kindercare | 4.7K | 19.9% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Active Explorers | 3.6K | 15.3% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Barnardos Early Learning | 1.9K | 8.1% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Evolve Education | 560 | 2.4% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | BestStart | 15K | 54.9% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Active Explorers | 5.1K | 18.6% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Kindercare | 4.2K | 15.2% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.3K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Evolve Education | 840 | 3.1% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | BestStart | 15.6K | 55% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Active Explorers | 5.3K | 18.6% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Kindercare | 4.3K | 15.3% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.3K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Evolve Education | 820 | 2.9% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | BestStart | 18K | 54.6% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Active Explorers | 5.6K | 16.9% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Kindercare | 5.2K | 15.7% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 3.4K | 10.2% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Evolve Education | 840 | 2.5% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | BestStart | 15.2K | 55.7% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Active Explorers | 4.8K | 17.7% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Kindercare | 4.2K | 15.4% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.2K | 8.1% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Evolve Education | 820 | 3% | 5 |
| May 2026 | BestStart | 15.5K | 55.2% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Active Explorers | 4.8K | 17.2% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Kindercare | 4.2K | 14.8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.8K | 9.8% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Evolve Education | 840 | 3% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | BestStart | 15.3K | 54.3% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Active Explorers | 5.3K | 18.6% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Kindercare | 4.5K | 15.8% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.4K | 8.3% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Evolve Education | 860 | 3% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | BestStart | 15.8K | 57.7% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Active Explorers | 4.7K | 17.1% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Kindercare | 3.9K | 14.3% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.3K | 8.5% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Evolve Education | 670 | 2.4% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | BestStart | 15.6K | 57% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Active Explorers | 4.8K | 17.5% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Kindercare | 4K | 14.4% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | 2.2K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Evolve Education | 820 | 3% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Active Explorers | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Barnardos Early Learning | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | BestStart | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Evolve Education | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Kindercare | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Active Explorers**: Measured on the search terms “active explorers”, “active explorers blockhouse bay”, “active explorers central city”, “active explorers central park”, “active explorers farnborough”, “active explorers greta point”, “active explorers grey street”, “active explorers highbrook”, “active explorers lower hutt”, “active explorers near me”, “active explorers nelson street”, “active explorers nz”, “active explorers preschool”, “active explorers shakespeare street”, “active explorers st lukes”, “active explorers swanson”, “active explorers upper hutt”, “active explorers victoria ave” and “activeexplorers”, summed into one figure.
- **Barnardos Early Learning**: Measured on the search terms “barnardos”, “barnardos early learning”, “barnardos early learning centre”, “barnardos early learning centre lower hutt”, “barnardos early learning near me” and “barnardos org nz”, summed into one figure.
- **BestStart**: Measured on the search terms “best start”, “best start barrington”, “best start cranford street”, “best start faringdon east”, “best start ferry road”, “best start flat bush”, “best start gillies ave”, “best start huntington”, “best start kauri flats”, “best start manuroa road”, “best start near me”, “best start newton”, “best start org”, “best start porchester road”, “beststart”, “beststart botany road”, “beststart bremner road”, “beststart childcare”, “beststart dannemora”, “beststart daycare”, “beststart halswell junction”, “beststart huntsbury”, “beststart near me”, “beststart new zealand”, “beststart nz”, “beststart remuera road”, “beststart salisbury street” and “beststart st lukes”, summed into one figure.
- **Evolve Education**: Measured on the search terms “evolve education”, “evolve education nz” and “lollipops educare”, summed into one figure.
- **Kindercare**: Measured on the search terms “kindercare”, “kindercare albany”, “kindercare botany”, “kindercare cbd”, “kindercare childcare”, “kindercare co nz”, “kindercare cost”, “kindercare daycare”, “kindercare learning”, “kindercare near me”, “kindercare nz”, “kindercare pakuranga”, “kindercare pebble”, “kindercare preschool”, “kindercare three kings” and “my kindercare”, summed into one figure.

- [Active Explorers](/demand/nz/brands/active-explorers)
- [Barnardos Early Learning](/demand/nz/brands/barnardos-early-learning)
- [BestStart](/demand/nz/brands/beststart)
- [Evolve Education](/demand/nz/brands/evolve-education)
- [Kindercare](/demand/nz/brands/kindercare)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand 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 early childhood education providers in New Zealand?

In August 2026, BestStart was the most searched among early childhood education providers in New Zealand, with an estimated 15.6K branded searches and 57% estimated Share of Search within this set.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Early childhood education providers in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-early-childhood-providers

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