Brandwave

Radio Hauraki vs The Sound:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Radio Hauraki had more branded searches than The Sound among radio stations in New Zealand. Radio Hauraki had about 9,990 branded searches, while The Sound had 1,300. Radio Hauraki made up 4.3% of all radio station searches we track, and The Sound accounted for 0.56%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about radio stations, Radio Hauraki appeared in three of the five answers and The Sound in two. The Sound was mentioned before Radio Hauraki in two out of three answers that named either.

Among radio stations in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Radio Hauraki, about 8 searches for every 1 for The Sound

Radio Hauraki 10K searchesThe Sound 1.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Radio Hauraki, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, The Sound in 2

Radio Hauraki in 3 of 5The Sound in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

The Sound, named ahead of Radio Hauraki in 2 of 3 answers

The Sound first in 2Radio Hauraki first in 1

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Top radio stations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Radio Hauraki was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. The Sound was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. The Sound was listed before Radio Hauraki in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. RNZ National1st
  2. Newstalk ZB2nd
  3. ZM3rd
  4. The Edge4th
  5. More FM5th
  6. The Rock6th
  7. The Hits7th
  8. The Breeze8th
  9. George FM9th
  10. +3 more
  11. Radio Hauraki13th
  12. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • RNZ National5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Newstalk ZB4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Rock4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ZM4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Breeze3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Edge3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • More FM3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Radio Hauraki3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • George FM3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • The Sound2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about radio stations

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Radio Hauraki or The Sound more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Radio Hauraki and The Sound by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 radio stations we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Radio Hauraki and The Sound among radio stations in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Radio Hauraki, The Sound. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNewstalk ZBThe RockRNZ NationalThe BreezeThe EdgeMore FMRadio HaurakiCoastGeorge FMThe HitsZMMai FMThe SoundMagicFlava
Oct 202526.9%10.5%22.5%6.1%2.8%6%5.3%5%4.3%3.7%2.2%2.3%0.56%1.8%0.25%
Nov 202528.4%8.7%22.4%7.4%2.7%5%5.6%5.2%3.7%3.4%2%2.5%0.46%2.3%0.27%
Dec 202527.1%9.3%22.3%7.2%2.6%5%6.5%6.3%3.5%3.5%2.1%2.4%0.53%1.4%0.26%
Jan 202628.1%7.7%24.5%6%2.6%5.1%6.7%5.7%3.6%3.5%2.7%2%0.48%1.2%0.26%
Feb 202627.6%8.5%22.8%6.1%2.6%6.2%6.6%5.1%2.9%4.1%2.7%2.9%0.48%0.95%0.39%
Mar 202628.8%8.7%24.2%6.4%2.7%6.2%5.6%5.1%2.5%3.5%2.3%2.5%0.41%0.83%0.33%
Apr 202630.8%7.7%25.5%7.3%2.4%4.7%4.9%4.5%3.3%3%2.5%2.2%0.43%0.74%0.24%
May 202631.2%8.7%22%6.7%2.9%5.6%5%5.4%2.7%3.7%2.5%2.2%0.5%0.59%0.3%
Jun 202631.7%8.2%22%6.3%2.5%5.7%5.1%5.5%2.7%3.9%2.4%2.7%0.51%0.57%0.3%
Jul 202628.1%9.5%23.6%6.6%2.6%5.2%5.5%4.9%3%4.8%2.4%2.4%0.48%0.59%0.32%
Aug 202629.4%11%20.6%6.4%2.4%5.4%7%4.4%3.1%3.8%3%2.1%0.41%0.66%0.34%
Sep 202626.9%20.5%16.7%5.6%5%4.9%4.3%4%3.5%3.3%2%1.9%0.56%0.49%0.26%

How has the Radio Hauraki and The Sound comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand radio stations in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, The Edge overtook Radio Hauraki and 5 others to rank 5th among radio stations in New Zealand, with 5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Radio Hauraki lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 7% to 4.3%.

  3. In September 2026, The Sound rose from 14th to 13th among radio stations in New Zealand.

How are branded searches counted?

8 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Radio Hauraki’s and The Sound’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.

Radio Hauraki

7 branded search terms

  • hauraki
  • hauraki fm
  • hauraki nz
  • hauraki radio
  • Radio Hauraki
  • radio hauraki nz
  • radio hauraki waikato

The Sound

1 branded search term

  • the sound radio

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among radio stations

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