What do Icelandic volcanoes, Justin Bieber and mothers have in common? They were all top of mind for Kiwis last month, as shown by the fastest-rising search terms on google.co.nz for April.
‘Anzac Day’ and ‘Mothers Day' topped the fastest-rising web searches list, which shows the trending topics on google.co.nz. However ‘Bieber fever’ was also clearly evident last month during the pop sensation’s whirlwind NZ tour.
On the news searches front, the Icelandic volcano led the charge as it put a halt to air travel in the UK and much of Europe, with the scandal-struck Melbourne Storm and Tiger Woods's return to golf also making the cut.
NZ’s fastest rising web searches, April
1. Anzac Day
2. Mothers Day
3. IPad
4. Justin Bieber
5. American Idol 2010
NZ’s fastest rising news searches, April
1. Iceland Volcano
2. Volcano
3. Iceland
4. Melbourne Storm
5. Tiger Woods
In addition to the monthly search stats we generate, each year we also release the most-searched for terms that Kiwis have typed into google.co.nz over the past 12 months. These statistics always provide an interesting insight into popular culture – and the national psyche of New Zealanders.
We've has now done some research into New Zealand’s most popular searches over the last few years, and we've unearthed some fascinating trends. Evidently there are some subjects that prove popular at the same time every year.
For instance, it seems that during January we all want to know how to reverse the effects of the indulgent Christmas period with ‘detox diets’. Everybody is reaching for their Te Reo Maori dictionary during Maori Language week in July, and Shawshank Redemption and Lord of the Flies revision notes are popular in November – exam month!
The trends cover everything from the predictable to some delightfully quirky Kiwi-isms – for instance, April is all about how to use up those feijoas that are lying on the ground under your hedge, while in May, ‘duck shooting’ is followed by ‘wild duck recipes’.
Here’s the full breakdown of New Zealand’s popular seasonal searches by month.
New Zealand Seasonal Search Trends
January
Detox diets
Marriage license
NCEA results
February
Valentine’s Day / love heart / restaurants Auckland / virtual flowers / Valentine’s poems
Girl Guide biscuits
Bluff Oysters
March
Easter craft activities / Hot cross bun recipes / Easter decorations / Easter prayers / Easter hours
Daylight savings end
Irish beer / Irish blessings / Irish jokes
April
Feijoa recipes / Feijoa loaf / How to make feijoa wine / Feijoa crumble
Poppies / ANZAC history / In Flanders Field
Mother's Day gift / Mother's Day activities
May
Duck shooting / Wild duck recipes
Mothers poems / Mothers day e-cards / Mothers day verses
Budget announcement
June
Winter equinox / winter solstice / shortest day of the year
Rural bachelor of the year / Fieldays
Matariki
July
Auckland International Film Festival / Wellington International Film Festival
Speech topics
Maori dictionary / Te Reo Maori week / Maori language week
Montana Book Awards
August
Seafood pizza recipes
First day of spring
Maths Week
September
Hoki recipes
Father's Day
Daylight savings starts
October
Fireworks / Fireworks sales / NZ Fireworks
Halloween party food / The meaning of Halloween
Diwali festival
November
Fireworks displays / Guy Fawkes / Who is Guy Fawkes?
Year 9 exams / Shawshank redemption notes / Lord of the flies quotes / Science revision
Graduation speeches
December
Secret santa gifts
Holiday pay
Map of Coromandel / Camping grounds
Posted by Annie Baxter, Google NZ PR Manager
