--- title: "Forsyth Barr vs Kernel: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Forsyth Barr or Kernel more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the investment platforms 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/forsyth-barr-vs-kernel" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Forsyth Barr vs Kernel: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Forsyth Barr or Kernel more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the investment platforms 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**: Forsyth Barr and Kernel - **Competitive set**: investment platforms - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Forsyth Barr Share of Search**: 5% - **Kernel Share of Search**: 15.1% ## Is Forsyth Barr or Kernel more popular in search? - In September 2026, Kernel had more branded searches than Forsyth Barr among investment platforms in New Zealand. Kernel had about 27,200 branded searches, while Forsyth Barr had 8,980. Kernel made up 15.1% of all investment platform searches we track, and Forsyth Barr accounted for 5%. - Kernel was ahead of Forsyth Barr in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Forsyth Barr’s share of searches among investment platforms in New Zealand moved from 4.7% to 5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 11K to 9K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kernel’s share of searches among investment platforms in New Zealand moved from 7.9% to 15.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.5K to 27.2K. ## Top investment platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kernel was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Forsyth Barr did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sharesies | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | InvestNow | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Kernel | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Hatch | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | ASB Securities | 5th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Tiger Brokers | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Craigs Investment Partners | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Forsyth Barr | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Jarden | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Snowball Effect | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Stake | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about investment platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which investment platform should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Kernel, 2. InvestNow, 3. Sharesies, 4. Hatch - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best investment platforms in New Zealand?": 1. Sharesies, 2. InvestNow, 3. Kernel, 4. Hatch - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best investment platform in New Zealand for a beginner investor?": 1. Sharesies, 2. Kernel, 3. InvestNow - Searched Google, AI Overview "investment platforms nz": 1. Sharesies, 2. InvestNow, 3. Kernel, 4. Hatch, 5. Tiger Brokers, 6. ASB Securities - Searched Google, AI Overview "share trading app": 1. Sharesies, 2. Hatch, 3. InvestNow, 4. ASB Securities Not named in any answer: Craigs Investment Partners, Forsyth Barr, Jarden, Snowball Effect and Stake. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand investment platforms in September 2026? - In September 2026, Forsyth Barr lost share of searches among investment platforms in New Zealand, from 5.8% to 5%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Kernel in New Zealand rose 47.2% over 12 measured months, from 18.5K to 27.2K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Forsyth Barr estimated searches | Forsyth Barr Share of Search | Forsyth Barr rank | Kernel estimated searches | Kernel Share of Search | Kernel rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 11K | 4.7% | 7 | 18.5K | 7.9% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 9.1K | 5.4% | 6 | 15.2K | 9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 8.9K | 6% | 6 | 14.7K | 9.8% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 8.9K | 4.5% | 7 | 18.7K | 9.4% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 8.9K | 5.5% | 6 | 15.2K | 9.3% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 10.8K | 6.3% | 6 | 17.8K | 10.3% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 8.9K | 5.1% | 6 | 19.5K | 11.1% | 3 | | May 2026 | 9K | 4.2% | 7 | 27.5K | 12.7% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 10.9K | 5% | 6 | 27.5K | 12.7% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 9K | 5.4% | 6 | 27.3K | 16.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 10.9K | 5.8% | 6 | 28K | 14.9% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 9K | 5% | 6 | 27.2K | 15.1% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Forsyth Barr’s and Kernel’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. - **Forsyth Barr**: Measured on the search terms “forsyth barr”, “forsyth barr events”, “forsyth barr fees”, “forsyth barr hamilton”, “forsyth barr investment”, “forsyth barr investments”, “forsyth barr kiwisaver”, “forsyth barr ltd”, “forsyth barr nz” and “forsyth barr tauranga”, summed into one figure. - **Kernel**: Measured on the search terms “kernel cash fund”, “kernel fund”, “kernel funds”, “kernel invest”, “kernel investment funds”, “kernel kiwisaver”, “kernel kiwisaver funds”, “kernel wealth”, “kernel wealth funds”, “kernel wealth kiwisaver” and “kiwisaver kernel”, summed into one figure. - [Forsyth Barr profile](/demand/nz/brands/forsyth-barr) - [Kernel profile](/demand/nz/brands/kernel) - [All investment platforms in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-investment-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 11 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Forsyth Barr or Kernel more popular in search? In September 2026, Kernel had more branded searches than Forsyth Barr among investment platforms in New Zealand. Kernel had about 27,200 branded searches, while Forsyth Barr had 8,980. Kernel made up 15.1% of all investment platform searches we track, and Forsyth Barr accounted for 5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Forsyth Barr vs Kernel: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/forsyth-barr-vs-kernel This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/forsyth-barr-vs-kernel. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.