--- title: "Nongshim vs Wai Wai: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Nongshim or Wai Wai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Instant noodle brands 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/nongshim-vs-wai-wai-noodles" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Nongshim vs Wai Wai: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Nongshim or Wai Wai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Instant noodle brands 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**: Nongshim and Wai Wai - **Competitive set**: Instant noodle brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Nongshim Share of Search**: 18.7% - **Wai Wai Share of Search**: 1.7% ## Is Nongshim or Wai Wai more popular in search? - In September 2026, Nongshim had more branded searches than Wai Wai among instant noodle brands in New Zealand. Nongshim had about 4,240 branded searches, while Wai Wai had 380. Nongshim made up 18.7% of all instant noodle brand searches we track, and Wai Wai accounted for 1.7%. - Nongshim was ahead of Wai Wai in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nongshim’s share of searches among instant noodle brands in New Zealand moved from 19.5% to 18.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.3K to 4.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wai Wai’s share of searches among instant noodle brands in New Zealand moved from 1.6% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 350 to 380. ## Top instant noodle brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Nongshim was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Wai Wai 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Indomie | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Nongshim | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Samyang | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Ottogi | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Maggi | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Nissin | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Wai Wai | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about instant noodle brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which instant noodle brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Indomie, 2. Nongshim, 3. Samyang, 4. Maggi, 5. Nissin - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best instant noodle brands in New Zealand?": 1. Nongshim, 2. Samyang, 3. Indomie, 4. Ottogi, 5. Nissin, 6. Maggi - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best instant noodle brand in New Zealand for quick meals?": 1. Indomie, 2. Nongshim, 3. Maggi, 4. Samyang - Searched Google, AI Overview "best instant noodles": 1. Nongshim, 2. Indomie, 3. Nissin - Searched Google, AI Overview "ramen noodles nz": 1. Ottogi, 2. Samyang, 3. Indomie Not named in any answer: Wai Wai. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand instant noodle brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Indomie overtook Nongshim to rank 2nd among instant noodle brands in New Zealand, with 23.1% of the searches. - In September 2026, Nongshim lost share of searches among instant noodle brands in New Zealand, from 21.2% to 18.7%. ## Month by month | Month | Nongshim estimated searches | Nongshim Share of Search | Nongshim rank | Wai Wai estimated searches | Wai Wai Share of Search | Wai Wai rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 4.3K | 19.5% | 2 | 350 | 1.6% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 3.6K | 18.8% | 3 | 270 | 1.4% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 3.6K | 21.4% | 3 | 330 | 2% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 4.2K | 21.5% | 2 | 300 | 1.5% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 3.3K | 18% | 3 | 370 | 2% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 4.7K | 21.6% | 3 | 420 | 1.9% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 4.2K | 20.7% | 3 | 400 | 2% | 6 | | May 2026 | 4.6K | 20.8% | 3 | 400 | 1.8% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 4.8K | 21.6% | 3 | 360 | 1.6% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 5.1K | 22.3% | 2 | 360 | 1.6% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 5.2K | 21.2% | 2 | 410 | 1.7% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 4.2K | 18.7% | 3 | 380 | 1.7% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Nongshim’s and Wai Wai’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. - **Nongshim**: Measured on the search terms “nongshim”, “nongshim bowl noodle”, “nongshim chapagetti”, “nongshim onion rings”, “nongshim ramen”, “nongshim ramyun”, “noodle nongshim”, “ramen shin ramyun”, “shin ramyun”, “shin ramyun cup”, “shin ramyun kimchi” and “shin ramyun noodles”, summed into one figure. - **Wai Wai**: Measured on the search terms “noodle wai wai”, “wai wai”, “wai wai noodles”, “wai wai vermicelli” and “wai wai xpress”, summed into one figure. - [Nongshim profile](/demand/nz/brands/nongshim) - [Wai Wai profile](/demand/nz/brands/wai-wai-noodles) - [All instant noodle brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-instant-noodle-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 Nongshim or Wai Wai more popular in search? In September 2026, Nongshim had more branded searches than Wai Wai among instant noodle brands in New Zealand. Nongshim had about 4,240 branded searches, while Wai Wai had 380. Nongshim made up 18.7% of all instant noodle brand searches we track, and Wai Wai accounted for 1.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Nongshim vs Wai Wai: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/nongshim-vs-wai-wai-noodles This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/nongshim-vs-wai-wai-noodles. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.