UCOL vs Whitireia:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Whitireia had more branded searches than UCOL among polytechnics in New Zealand. Whitireia was estimated to have 7.8K branded searches compared to UCOL’s 6.3K, and held a 5% Share of Search versus UCOL’s 4%.
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Which is more popular in search, UCOL or Whitireia?
Compare New Zealand polytechnics and institutes of technology offering vocational and applied study. 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.
Share of Search by month for Whitireia, UCOL. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Open Polytechnic | Unitec | Otago Polytechnic | Wintec | Ara Institute of Canterbury | Toi Ohomai | Whitireia | UCOL | Manukau Institute of Technology | SIT | NMIT | EIT | WelTec | NorthTec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 28.5% | 12.3% | 10% | 8.2% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 3.9% | 4.4% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 31.2% | 12.9% | 9% | 8.8% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 3.5% | 4% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Dec 2025 | 36.1% | 12.7% | 8.5% | 7.5% | 5.6% | 6.2% | 2.9% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.2% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 2% | 1.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 32.4% | 11.3% | 9.4% | 8.4% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 2.8% | 4.5% | 4.2% | 4.5% | 2.4% | 3% | 2.3% | 1.8% |
| Feb 2026 | 26.1% | 13.2% | 9.1% | 9.3% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 4.9% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 1.9% |
| Mar 2026 | 26.1% | 13.3% | 11.1% | 7.7% | 8.3% | 8% | 5.9% | 3.6% | 4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| Apr 2026 | 33.2% | 11.8% | 9.7% | 8.3% | 7.5% | 6% | 5.1% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| May 2026 | 28.4% | 12.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 7.5% | 7.3% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2% | 1.6% |
| Jun 2026 | 29% | 12.6% | 10.2% | 8.6% | 7.3% | 7.4% | 4.8% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.7% |
| Jul 2026 | 28% | 14.6% | 9.9% | 8.4% | 7.9% | 6.2% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 1.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 28.2% | 12.4% | 10.1% | 8.4% | 7.9% | 7.5% | 5% | 4% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the UCOL and Whitireia comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 11 months ending August 2026: UCOL took it in December 2025, Whitireia took it in February 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCOL’s estimated Share of Search among polytechnics in New Zealand moved from 3.9% to 4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6K to 6.3K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Whitireia’s estimated Share of Search among polytechnics in New Zealand moved from 6.5% to 5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 10.1K to 7.8K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand polytechnics in August 2026?
2 changes
UCOL’s estimated Share of Search among polytechnics in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.4% to 4% in August 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Whitireia in New Zealand fell 22.9% over 11 measured months, from 10.1K to 7.8K in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using UCOL’s and Whitireia’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.
UCOL
6 branded search terms
- ucol
- ucol ac nz
- ucol courses
- ucol near me
- ucol nz
- ucol online
Whitireia
14 branded search terms
- aplus whitireia
- moodle whitireia
- nursing whitireia
- whitireia
- whitireia ac nz
- whitireia courses
- whitireia library
- whitireia near me
- whitireia nursing
- whitireia nz
- whitireia online
- whitireia paramedic
- whitireia results
- whitireia scholarship
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