Brandwave

Museums in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Auckland Museum was the most searched among museums in New Zealand, with an estimated 85K branded searches and 45.4% estimated Share of Search within this set.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Auckland Museum45.4%
  2. Te Papa27.3%
  3. MOTAT14.2%
  4. Canterbury Museum5.5%
  5. Otago Museum4.5%
  6. Toitū Otago Settlers Museum3.1%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the museums New Zealanders and visitors visit. 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.

Share of Search among museums in New Zealand, by month

Share of Search by month for Auckland Museum, Te Papa, MOTAT, Canterbury Museum, Otago Museum, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthAuckland MuseumTe PapaMOTATCanterbury MuseumOtago MuseumToitū Otago Settlers Museum
Oct 202540.3%28.9%15.4%7.1%4.5%3.7%
Nov 202538%31.6%14.5%7.1%4.3%4.4%
Dec 202539.2%28.3%19%6%3.9%3.5%
Jan 202642.2%29%12.9%7.5%4.8%3.6%
Feb 202638.3%32.3%10.7%8.9%5.5%4.4%
Mar 202639.9%33.3%11.2%7.5%4.2%3.8%
Apr 202640.8%29%15.4%7%4.8%3%
May 202639.8%28.9%15.8%7%4.9%3.6%
Jun 202639.9%27.9%18.1%6.8%4.2%3.1%
Jul 202643.1%28.5%16.2%5%4.5%2.6%
Aug 202645.4%27.3%14.2%5.5%4.5%3.1%
Sep 2026——————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Auckland Museum

    45.4%

    held 1st · 85K estimated branded searches · -4.5% vs prior month · +2.3 points

  2. 2.Te Papa

    27.3%

    held 2nd · 51.1K estimated branded searches · -13.2% vs prior month · -1.2 points

  3. 3.MOTAT

    14.2%

    held 3rd · 26.6K estimated branded searches · -20.2% vs prior month · -2 points

  4. 4.Canterbury Museum

    5.5%

    held 4th · 10.2K estimated branded searches · -0.97% vs prior month · +0.5 points

  5. 5.Otago Museum

    4.5%

    held 5th · 8.4K estimated branded searches · -9.1% vs prior month · 0 points

  6. 6.Toitū Otago Settlers Museum

    3.1%

    held 6th · 5.7K estimated branded searches · +5.9% vs prior month · +0.4 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among museums in New Zealand?

In August 2026, Auckland Museum was the most searched among museums in New Zealand, with an estimated 85K branded searches and 45.4% estimated Share of Search within this set. Te Papa is in 2nd place, 18.1 percentage points behind at 27.3% Share of Search.

New Zealand museums, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Auckland Museum40.3% → 45.4%45.4%Aug 202638%Nov 20251st
Te Papa28.9% → 27.3%33.3%Mar 202627.3%Aug 20262nd
MOTAT15.4% → 14.2%19%Dec 202510.7%Feb 20263rd
Canterbury Museum7.1% → 5.5%8.9%Feb 20265%Jul 20264th
Otago Museum4.5%5.5%Feb 20263.9%Dec 20255th
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum3.7% → 3.1%4.4%Nov 20252.6%Jul 20266th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Auckland Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand increased from 40.3% to 45.4%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Te Papa’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand decreased from 28.9% to 27.3%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MOTAT’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand decreased from 15.4% to 14.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Canterbury Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand decreased from 7.1% to 5.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand decreased from 3.7% to 3.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Auckland Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand peaked at 45.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 38% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Te Papa’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand peaked at 33.3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 27.3% in August 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MOTAT’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand peaked at 19% in December 2025 and was lowest at 10.7% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Canterbury Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand peaked at 8.9% in February 2026 and was lowest at 5% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Otago Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand peaked at 5.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 3.9% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum’s estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand peaked at 4.4% in November 2025 and was lowest at 2.6% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Otago Museum held steady: its estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand museums in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Auckland Museum gained estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand, from 43.1% to 45.4%.

  2. In August 2026, MOTAT lost estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand, from 16.2% to 14.2%.

  3. In August 2026, Te Papa lost estimated Share of Search among museums in New Zealand, from 28.5% to 27.3%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Canterbury Museum in New Zealand fell 32.9% over 11 measured months, from 15.2K to 10.2K in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in New Zealand fell 27.8% over 11 measured months, from 8K to 5.7K in August 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Otago Museum in New Zealand fell 13% over 11 measured months, from 9.7K to 8.4K in August 2026.

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