Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts vs Te Matatini:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Te Matatini had more branded searches than Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts among arts and culture festivals in New Zealand. Te Matatini had about 1,600 branded searches, while Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts had 20. Te Matatini made up 7.3% of all arts and culture festival searches we track, and Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts accounted for 0.09%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about arts and culture festivals, Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Te Matatini each appeared in three of the five answers. Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Te Matatini were each mentioned first in two of the four answers.
Who do people search for more?
Te Matatini, about 80 searches for every 1 for Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 2 of 4 answers.
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Top arts and culture festivals in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Te Matatini was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Te Matatini were each listed first in two of the four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Auckland Arts Festival4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
WOMAD Aotearoa3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Te Matatini3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Pasifika Festival2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Nelson Arts Festival2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
World of WearableArt1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Auckland Writers Festival1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
CubaDupa0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about arts and culture festivals
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which arts and culture festival should I book in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best arts and culture festivals in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best arts and culture festival in New Zealand for live performances?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“film festival nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“arts festival nz”
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 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts or Te Matatini more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Te Matatini by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten arts and culture festivals we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Te Matatini, Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | World of WearableArt | WOMAD Aotearoa | Pasifika Festival | Te Matatini | Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival | Nelson Arts Festival | CubaDupa | Auckland Arts Festival | Auckland Writers Festival | Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 31.3% | 4.8% | 21.8% | 9.1% | 7.3% | 11.8% | 4.5% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 0.27% |
| Nov 2025 | 15.8% | 6.4% | 25% | 17.1% | 7.9% | 1.4% | 9.7% | 10% | 5.3% | 1.4% |
| Dec 2025 | 16.4% | 11.6% | 17.8% | 12.8% | 8.4% | 0.71% | 13% | 13.7% | 4.8% | 0.89% |
| Jan 2026 | 15.7% | 7.8% | 15.6% | 8.6% | 6.3% | 0.88% | 24% | 13.4% | 6.3% | 1.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 15.2% | 3.7% | 19.4% | 8.6% | 3.4% | 0.48% | 29.5% | 13.5% | 5.2% | 0.91% |
| Mar 2026 | 5.7% | 1.9% | 22.9% | 3.7% | 1.7% | 0.22% | 42.4% | 10.5% | 10.9% | 0.14% |
| Apr 2026 | 22.6% | 3.9% | 11.1% | 13.2% | 7.4% | 0.62% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 32.3% | 0.21% |
| May 2026 | 18.9% | 3.8% | 9.4% | 9.4% | 10.8% | 0.45% | 2% | 2% | 43.1% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 24.5% | 5.4% | 14.8% | 12.5% | 32.7% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 3.6% | 0.08% |
| Jul 2026 | 13.1% | 8.2% | 5.2% | 3.3% | 66.2% | 1% | 0.89% | 1.1% | 0.95% | 0.03% |
| Aug 2026 | 17.5% | 5.7% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 57.6% | 2.5% | 1.4% | 0.94% | 1% | 0.03% |
| Sep 2026 | 65.3% | 9% | 8.6% | 7.3% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.09% |
How has the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Te Matatini comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Te Matatini was ahead of Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts’ share of searches among arts and culture festivals in New Zealand moved from 0.27% to 0.09%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 30 to 20.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Te Matatini’s share of searches among arts and culture festivals in New Zealand moved from 9.1% to 7.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 1.6K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand arts and culture festivals in September 2026?
3 changes

In September 2026, WOMAD Aotearoa overtook Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival and 2 others to rank 2nd among arts and culture festivals in New Zealand, with 9% of the searches.

In September 2026, Te Matatini gained share of searches among arts and culture festivals in New Zealand, from 6.6% to 7.3%.

Estimated monthly branded searches for Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in New Zealand fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 30 to 20 in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts’ and Te Matatini’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.
Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts
1 branded search term
- aotearoa new zealand festival of the arts
Te Matatini
1 branded search term
- te matatini
Other head-to-heads among arts and culture festivals

World of WearableArt vs WOMAD Aotearoa: compare popularity
World of WearableArt vs Pasifika Festival: compare popularity
World of WearableArt vs Te Matatini: compare popularity
World of WearableArt vs Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival: compare popularity
WOMAD Aotearoa vs Pasifika Festival: compare popularity
WOMAD Aotearoa vs Te Matatini: compare popularity

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