Source: Radio New Zealand
The most popular search topics in New Zealand in 2025 on Google included Kiwi sports stars and celebrities like David Parker, Liam Lawson and Lorde, overseas celebrities like Ozzy Osbourne and Jimmy Kimmel, and notable news stories like the death of Charlie Kirk. File / RNZ / AFP
Labubu. Viral ice cream. Tom Phillips, wind warnings, and how to make butter.
Google has announced the top trending searches for New Zealand in 2025, and it’s a snapshot of the wild, weird year that’s nearly over.
The single biggest search term in Aotearoa this year had little to do with New Zealand – it was the American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was not well known here before his death in September.
But right up there in the top ten were also the death of Tom Phillips after a four-year search for the missing man and his children, weather events like Cyclone Alfred and the long-dead American serial killer Ed Gein, subject of a popular Netflix series.
Oh, and the All Blacks. There’s always the All Blacks.
Google New Zealand’s communications and public affairs manager Carrie Jones told Morning Report the results provided interesting data about what Kiwis are thinking about.
“This list of top trending searches spanned pop culture, lifestyle, sports, news – and they’re the queries that had the greatest spike in interest this year as compared to last year.
“So they give us a really good insight into what Kiwis were curious about.
“This year the searches paint a picture of a population that was pragmatic, hyper-vigilant and digitally aware.
“One thing that is consistent year on year is we are sports mad and the All Blacks are actually the most-referenced search term of the past five years.”
With a new album out, Lorde remained a top search topic in New Zealand this year. Supplied / Universal Music
When it came to Kiwi searches, boxer Joseph Parker, ACT Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden, former Green MP Benjamin Doyle, singer Lorde and F1 driver Liam Lawson were among the top queries.
Celebrities who passed away in 2025 were also frequently searched, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Gene Hackman and Diane Keaton.
Another hot spot in the top 10 was health searches.
“Interestingly in our overall searches list we saw searches for COPD treatment and osteoporosis treatment, perhaps showing Kiwis taking health matters into their own hands,” she said.
Jones said Google has also seen a sharp increase in people using search as a real-time safety tool for events like cyclones, tsunami warnings and storms.
“Our desire for information about these immediate weather hazards has never been more pronounced.”
“Kiwis are searching for urgency around local matters such as wind warnings, rainfall warnings and tsunami warnings and also showing interest in engagement and political processes. So we saw searches for how to make a submission for the Treaty Principles Bill, for example.”
Jones said that last search showed a desire to participate rather than just gather information.
“We see a shift from lots of reading, maybe just looking for headlines, moving more to actionable paths to engagement. So, ‘how to make a submission to the Treaty Principles Bill’ shows Kiwis’ interest and a desire to be involved, rather than just participate and read.”
Google is also seeing a move to tools like visual search and its own AI fuelled searches. Jones acknowledged there were some concerns about the use of artificial intelligence.
“I think there is a natural scepticism of new technology. I think there is real excitement around the opportunity that AI can present and how it can make a real difference in our society, whether it’s through health care or across different industries.”
Kiwis were also keen to search for various viral trends like “Barbie AI” image generators or that “viral ice cream” or explaining that darned ‘six seven’ thing all the kids are talking about.
And with food, “There were two main flavours that came through our searches this year,” Jones said.
“So we had Dubai chocolate, pistachio cream and matcha coming through, people wanted to know how to make Dubai chocolate, how to make pistachio cream. That was sort of the unexpected flavour duo of 2025.”
Courtesy of Google, here’s the full lists of trends in New Zealand for 2025:
Slain American political commentator Charlie Kirk was New Zealand’s top overall search in 2025. ANGELA WEISS / AFP
Overall searches
- Charlie Kirk
- COPD treatment
- Osteoporosis treatment
- Tom Phillips
- All Blacks vs France
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Cyclone Alfred
- Iran
- Ed Gein
- Club World Cup
Kiwis
- Joseph Parker
- Benjamin Doyle
- Lorde
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Hillier
- Kai Kara France
- David Nyika
- Brooke Van Velden
- Chris Wood
- Stuart Nash
Deaths
- Charlie Kirk
- Tom Phillips
- Michelle Trachtenberg
- Gene Hackman
- Hulk Hogan
- Diane Keaton
- Val Kilmer
- David Lynch
- Robert Redford
- Jane Goodall
People
- Belle Gibson
- D4vd
- Diogo Jota
- Pope
- Andy Byron
- Luke Combs
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Tyler Robinson
- Kendrick Lamar
- Prince Andrew
Local moments
- Wind warning
- Rainfall warning
- Tsunami warning
- Thunderstorm warning
- Cyclone Tam
- Treaty Principles Bill Submission
- Metallica Auckland
- Tongariro Fire
- Measles
- Sail GP Auckland
Global moments
- Cyclone Alfred
- Iran
- Day of the Dead
- LA Fires
- Labubu
- Russia Earthquake
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Bianca Censori Grammys
- 67
- Air India Crash
How to…
- How to make butter
- How to invest money in shares
- How to make buttermilk
- How to get rid of bed bugs
- How to screenshot on Macbook
- How to watch All Blacks vs France
- How to soft boil an egg
- How to say Happy Matariki in te reo Maori
- How to clear cache on Chrome
- How to calculate a tax refund
Definitions:
- Plancha
- Taki
- Parens
- Loris
- Hubris
- Atria
- Ziti
- Ouroboros
- Orgo
- Seitan
Internet trends/memes
- Action Figure Trend
- Mango Ice Cream
- Barbie AI Trend
- Revenge Saving Financial Trend
- Peach Ice Cream
- What is the 6 7 Trend
- Squishy Toy Trend
- Polaroid Trend
- Starter Pack Trend
Sports events
- Club World Cup
- India vs England
- Auckland FC
- India vs Australia
- Champions Trophy
- New Zealand vs Pakistan
- Super Rugby Fantasy
- All Blacks vs Australia
- New Zealand vs West Indies
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
