Google’s top trending searches for 2025 show New Zealanders were heavily focused on safety, self-sufficiency, and major global and local events.
Weather alerts, cyclones, and health warnings surged as people relied on Google for real-time updates, while political engagement grew through searches on submissions to the Treaty Principles Bill.
Rising living costs fuelled a boom in homesteading skills and financial literacy queries, from making butter to calculating tax refunds.
Cultural curiosity also flourished, with viral AI tools, food trends, and meme explanations topping search lists.
Public figures such as Joseph Parker, Lorde, and Liam Lawson dominated personality searches, while major sporting events and global moments—from Russia’s earthquake to the Day of the Dead and Charlie Kirk —rounded out the year.
Most popular searches
- Charlie Kirk
- COPD treatment
- Osteoporosis treatment
- Tom Phillips
- All Blacks vs France
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Cyclone Alfred
- Iran
- Ed Gein
- Club World Cup
New Zealanders
- Joseph Parker
- Benjamin Doyle
- Lorde
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Hillier
- Kai Kara France
- David Nyika
- Brooke Van Velden
- Chris Wood
- Stuart Nash
So now we know why NZ is in such bad shape…people are asking the wrong questions!