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

In August 2026, University of Auckland was the most searched among universities in New Zealand, with an estimated 140K branded searches and 28.5% estimated Share of Search within this set.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. University of Auckland28.5%
  2. AUT13.5%
  3. Massey University13.1%
  4. Victoria University of Wellington11.7%
  5. University of Waikato11.1%
  6. University of Otago9.1%
  7. University of Canterbury8.3%
  8. Lincoln University4.8%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

New Zealand's eight universities, compared through branded searches in New Zealand. 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 universities in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of search table
MonthUniversity of AucklandAUTMassey UniversityVictoria University of WellingtonUniversity of WaikatoUniversity of OtagoUniversity of CanterburyLincoln University
Oct 202526.3%14.6%14.2%10.4%10.8%10.8%8%4.8%
Nov 202529.8%13.6%13.2%9.7%11.1%10%7.4%5.3%
Dec 202524.9%12%15.6%11%10.7%11.8%8.8%5.2%
Jan 202630.3%11.1%12.7%9.3%10.7%11.8%8.8%5.2%
Feb 202622.4%12.9%12.6%12%11.8%12.9%9.7%5.7%
Mar 202629%11.7%10.8%11.6%15.8%8.6%7.9%4.6%
Apr 202627.1%11.1%13.9%12.2%13.6%9.1%8.3%4.8%
May 202628.7%11.1%13.2%12.2%12.4%9.1%8.3%4.9%
Jun 202630.9%11.5%12.9%11.3%12.6%8.4%7.7%4.5%
Jul 202626.9%12.7%12.4%13.5%12.7%8.5%7.8%5.5%
Aug 202628.5%13.5%13.1%11.7%11.1%9.1%8.3%4.8%
Sep 2026————————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.University of Auckland

    28.5%

    held 1st · 140K estimated branded searches · -0.04% vs prior month · +1.6 points

  2. 2.AUT

    13.5%

    moved from 3rd to 2nd · 66.2K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · +0.8 points

  3. 3.Massey University

    13.1%

    moved from 5th to 3rd · 64.3K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · +0.7 points

  4. 4.Victoria University of Wellington

    11.7%

    moved from 2nd to 4th · 57.6K estimated branded searches · -18.2% vs prior month · -1.8 points

  5. 5.University of Waikato

    11.1%

    moved from 4th to 5th · 54.2K estimated branded searches · -18.1% vs prior month · -1.7 points

  6. 6.University of Otago

    9.1%

    held 6th · 44.4K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · +0.5 points

  7. 7.University of Canterbury

    8.3%

    held 7th · 40.5K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · +0.5 points

  8. 8.Lincoln University

    4.8%

    held 8th · 23.5K estimated branded searches · -17.3% vs prior month · -0.7 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

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

In August 2026, University of Auckland was the most searched among universities in New Zealand, with an estimated 140K branded searches and 28.5% estimated Share of Search within this set. AUT is in 2nd place, 15 percentage points behind at 13.5% Share of Search.

New Zealand universities, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
University of Auckland26.3% → 28.5%30.9%Jun 202622.4%Feb 20261st
AUT14.6% → 13.5%14.6%Oct 202511.1%Jan 20262nd
Massey University14.2% → 13.1%15.6%Dec 202510.8%Mar 20263rd
Victoria University of Wellington10.4% → 11.7%13.5%Jul 20269.3%Jan 20266th → 4th
University of Waikato10.8% → 11.1%15.8%Mar 202610.7%Jan 20265th
University of Otago10.8% → 9.1%12.9%Feb 20268.4%Jun 20264th → 6th
University of Canterbury8% → 8.3%9.7%Feb 20267.4%Nov 20257th
Lincoln University4.8%5.7%Feb 20264.5%Jun 20268th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Auckland’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand increased from 26.3% to 28.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, AUT’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand decreased from 14.6% to 13.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Massey University’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand decreased from 14.2% to 13.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Victoria University of Wellington’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand increased from 10.4% to 11.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Otago’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand decreased from 10.8% to 9.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Auckland’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 30.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 22.4% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, AUT’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 14.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 11.1% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Massey University’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 15.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 10.8% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Victoria University of Wellington’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 13.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 9.3% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Waikato’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 15.8% in March 2026 and was lowest at 10.7% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Otago’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 12.9% in February 2026 and was lowest at 8.4% in June 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Canterbury’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 9.7% in February 2026 and was lowest at 7.4% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lincoln University’s estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand peaked at 5.7% in February 2026 and was lowest at 4.5% in June 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Victoria University of Wellington rose from 6th to 4th among universities in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Otago fell from 4th to 6th among universities in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Waikato, University of Canterbury and Lincoln University held steady: their estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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

  1. In August 2026, Massey University overtook University of Waikato to rank 3rd among universities in New Zealand, at 13.1%.

  2. In August 2026, AUT overtook Victoria University of Wellington to rank 2nd among universities in New Zealand, at 13.5%.

  3. In August 2026, University of Auckland gained estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand, from 26.9% to 28.5%.

  4. In August 2026, University of Otago gained estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand, from 8.5% to 9.1%.

  5. In August 2026, Victoria University of Wellington lost estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand, from 13.5% to 11.7%.

  6. In August 2026, University of Waikato lost estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand, from 12.7% to 11.1%.

  7. In August 2026, Lincoln University lost estimated Share of Search among universities in New Zealand, from 5.5% to 4.8%.

  8. Estimated monthly branded searches for University of Canterbury in New Zealand rose 22.4% over 11 measured months, from 33.1K to 40.5K in August 2026.

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