--- title: "Apogee Legal vs Buddle McCleary Kennedy: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?" description: "Which is more popular in search, Apogee Legal or Buddle McCleary Kennedy? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Whakatane law firms set 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." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/apogee-legal-vs-buddle-mccleary-kennedy" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apogee Legal vs Buddle McCleary Kennedy: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand? Which is more popular in search, Apogee Legal or Buddle McCleary Kennedy? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Whakatane law firms set 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. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Apogee Legal and Buddle McCleary Kennedy - **Competitive set**: Whakatane law firms - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Apogee Legal Share of Search**: 14.3% - **Buddle McCleary Kennedy Share of Search**: 9.5% ## Which is more popular in search, Apogee Legal or Buddle McCleary Kennedy? - In August 2026, Apogee Legal had more branded searches than Buddle McCleary Kennedy among whakatane law firms in New Zealand. Apogee Legal was estimated to have 60 branded searches compared to Buddle McCleary Kennedy’s 40, and held a 14.3% Share of Search versus Buddle McCleary Kennedy’s 9.5%. - The lead changed hands 5 times in the 11 months ending August 2026: Apogee Legal took it in November 2025, Buddle McCleary Kennedy took it in December 2025, Apogee Legal took it in February 2026, Buddle McCleary Kennedy took it in June 2026, Apogee Legal took it in August 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Apogee Legal’s estimated Share of Search among whakatane law firms in New Zealand moved from 10.7% to 14.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 80 to 60. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buddle McCleary Kennedy’s estimated Share of Search among whakatane law firms in New Zealand moved from 12% to 9.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90 to 40. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand whakatane law firms in August 2026? - In August 2026, Holland Beckett overtook Buddle McCleary Kennedy to rank 2nd among whakatane law firms in New Zealand, at 19%. - In August 2026, Apogee Legal overtook Buddle McCleary Kennedy to rank 3rd among whakatane law firms in New Zealand, at 14.3%. - In August 2026, Buddle McCleary Kennedy lost estimated Share of Search among whakatane law firms in New Zealand, from 18.9% to 9.5%. ## Month by month | Month | Apogee Legal estimated searches | Apogee Legal Share of Search | Apogee Legal rank | Buddle McCleary Kennedy estimated searches | Buddle McCleary Kennedy Share of Search | Buddle McCleary Kennedy rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 80 | 10.7% | 4 | 90 | 12% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 80 | 12.7% | 3 | 50 | 7.9% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 50 | 9.8% | 4 | 70 | 13.7% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 60 | 9.4% | 4 | 70 | 10.9% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 70 | 10.3% | 3 | 30 | 4.4% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 80 | 11% | 3 | 50 | 6.8% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 60 | 11.5% | 3 | 50 | 9.6% | 4 | | May 2026 | 80 | 19.5% | 2 | 40 | 9.8% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 40 | 10.3% | 4 | 50 | 12.8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 40 | 10.8% | 4 | 70 | 18.9% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 60 | 14.3% | 3 | 40 | 9.5% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apogee Legal’s and Buddle McCleary Kennedy’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. - **Apogee Legal**: Measured on the search terms “apogee legal”, “apogee legal nz” and “apogee legal whakatane”, summed into one figure. - **Buddle McCleary Kennedy**: Measured on the search term “buddle mccleary kennedy”. - [Apogee Legal profile](/demand/nz/brands/apogee-legal) - [Buddle McCleary Kennedy profile](/demand/nz/brands/buddle-mccleary-kennedy) - [All whakatane law firms in New Zealand](/demand/nz/locations/whakatane/law-firms): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands. ## 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 is more popular in search, Apogee Legal or Buddle McCleary Kennedy? In August 2026, Apogee Legal had more branded searches than Buddle McCleary Kennedy among whakatane law firms in New Zealand. Apogee Legal was estimated to have 60 branded searches compared to Buddle McCleary Kennedy’s 40, and held a 14.3% Share of Search versus Buddle McCleary Kennedy’s 9.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apogee Legal vs Buddle McCleary Kennedy: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/apogee-legal-vs-buddle-mccleary-kennedy This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/apogee-legal-vs-buddle-mccleary-kennedy. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.