Google has revealed the top trending search topics in New Zealand for 2025, reflecting a year dominated by concerns over safety, an increased desire for self-sufficiency, notable global and local events, and changing internet trends.
The annual data release offers a snapshot of the questions and issues occupying the attention of New Zealanders over the past twelve months.
Safety searches
Weather-related searches saw a significant uptick.
Terms such as ‘wind warning’, ‘rainfall warning’, and ‘tsunami warning’ ranked high among local moments. Cyclones Tam and Alfred featured prominently as New Zealanders monitored natural phenomena and responded to emergency situations. Health-related topics also rose in prominence, with the resurgence of measles drawing concern and searches.
Residents increasingly relied on Google as a real-time resource for updates, with weather events and health warnings appearing frequently among trending topics. These patterns indicate heightened vigilance and reliance on digital platforms for situational awareness during emergencies.
Civic participation
The year marked a shift in citizen engagement from observation to participation. Searches showed strong interest in political and legislative processes. ‘How to make a submission to the Treaty Principles Bill’ and information about politicians ranked among the most searched topics, as New Zealanders sought more active involvement in policy and political discussions.
Self-sufficiency rise
Economic concerns and cost of living pressures influenced a shift toward ‘homesteading’ skills and financial self-sufficiency. Popular ‘how to’ searches included making butter, buttermilk, bread, sourdough starter, as well as soft-boiled eggs. The trend extended to personal finance, with searches for ‘revenge saving’, how to calculate tax refunds, investing in shares, and starting a YouTube channel all recording increased interest.
Health and wellness intersected with these lifestyle trends, as terms such as ‘chicken breast’ and ‘pink salt trick’ gained curiosity, likely fuelled by dietary discussions online. The breadth of recipe searches-ranging from spotted dick to whitebait fritters-demonstrated a willingness to experiment in the kitchen.
Culture and internet trends
Global internet culture continued to influence local habits. Trending topics included the ‘Barbie AI’ and other generative AI phenomena, reflecting a growing mainstream embrace of artificial intelligence tools. Viral food trends-such as ‘dubai chocolate’ and ‘pistachio cream’-mirrored the impact of international social media.
Searches for definitions such as ‘plancha’, ‘taki’, ‘ouroboros’ and ‘seitan’ highlighted intellectual curiosity and engagement with online conversation. Internet meme culture was also evident, with Kiwis seeking to understand trends like the ‘starter pack trend’, ‘what is the 6 7 trend’ and ‘action figure trend’.
Personalities and events
Searches for public figures both in New Zealand and abroad dominated personal interest queries. Joseph Parker, Lorde, Liam Lawson, Daniel Hillier, and Brooke Van Velden all appeared among the most searched Kiwis. Among global and local losses, names such as Charlie Kirk, Tom Phillips, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Jane Goodall featured prominently.
Sport remained a dominant part of national interest, with events like All Blacks vs France, Club World Cup, and matches involving Auckland FC drawing substantial volumes of search queries. The All Blacks retained their position as one of the nation’s most referenced topics over the past five years.
Global perspective
International events also drove searches, with terms such as ‘Iran’, ‘Russia earthquake’, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, and ‘Day of the Dead’ in the top global moments list. Entertainment news, viral trends, and commentary around controversial figures like Belle Gibson were also among the most searched topics.
“Every day Kiwis turn to Google Search to learn, discover and get stuff done,” said Carrie Jones, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Google New Zealand.