NZ Digital Audiences
Nielsen and SemRush data — top NZ websites and social platforms by monthly reach, filtered by age and gender. Plus digital news audience fact-checks.
Data sources & caveat: Statistics on this page combine independently-measured data (Nielsen Digital Ratings monthly uniques, SemRush April 2026 visit data, NapoleonCat December 2025 social media user counts) and publisher-reported figures. Website visit data (SemRush) measures browser sessions, not unique people — Nielsen Digital Ratings unique browser data is a more reliable audience proxy. Audience index figures are derived from published Nielsen demographic composition data and should be treated as directional, not definitive. Always verify data with your agency or directly with the research organisations before making investment decisions.
Digital news audiences — what publishers claim vs Nielsen
The two dominant NZ news sites both quote reach figures larger than Nielsen Digital Ratings show. Here's what the independent data actually says.
3.4M+ monthly audience (cross-platform)
2.23M unique browsers/month (Nielsen Digital Ratings). The 3.4M 'cross-platform' figure adds email, app, and social reach — different metrics measured differently.
2.4M+ monthly digital audience
1.96M unique browsers/month (Nielsen). NZME's higher figure includes video streams, app sessions, and newsletter opens counted as separate 'audiences'.
| Site | Monthly uniques (Nielsen) | 18–29 index | 30–54 index | 55+ index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stuff.co.nz | 2,230,000 | ↓ 64 | Avg 114 | ↑ 126 |
| nzherald.co.nz | 1,960,000 | Low ↓ 58 | Avg 112 | ↑ 128 |
Index = audience composition vs NZ internet average (100 = average; 130 = 30% over-index). News sites strongly over-index for 45+ audiences.
Top 10 NZ websites — by audience demographic
Ranked by estimated audience affinity for your selected demographic. Based on SemRush monthly visit data (April 2026) adjusted by Nielsen audience index for each group.
| Rank | Website | Category | Monthly visits (total NZ) | Audience index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | google.com | Search | 403.1M | Avg 100 | Dominant across all demographics — no meaningful age or gender skew |
| 2 | youtube.com | Video | 161.2M | Avg 100 | Strong 18–39; declining with age but still top-3 for 55+ |
| 3 | facebook.com | Social | 41.6M | Avg 100 | Older skew vs other social platforms; broad reach 30–65+ |
| 4 | trademe.co.nz | Marketplace | 22.7M | Avg 100 | NZ-owned; strong across all adult groups, slight 35–54 peak |
| 5 | stuff.co.nz | News | 18.4M | Avg 100 | Broad NZ news audience; strongest with 30–54 and 45+ skew |
| 6 | nzherald.co.nz | News | 16.3M | Avg 100 | Auckland-centric; strong 35–60; premium advertiser audience |
| 7 | instagram.com | Social | 12.8M | Avg 100 | Strong 18–34; female-skewed; visual content platform |
| 8 | wikipedia.org | Reference | 10.6M | Avg 100 | Consistent across all ages; slight male and 18–44 skew |
| 9 | reddit.com | Social / Forums | 9.2M | Avg 100 | Strongly male-skewed; peaks 18–34; niche but highly engaged |
| 10 | countdown.co.nz | Retail / Grocery | 8.4M | Avg 100 | Grocery online shopping; female-skewed; peaks 30–54 |
Index based on publicly available Nielsen Digital Ratings demographic composition data. Ranking shifts when demographic filter applied. 100 = average NZ internet user.
Top 5 social media platforms — by demographic
Ranked by estimated relevance for selected demographic. Total NZ users from NapoleonCat December 2025 data, adjusted by age/gender index.
| Rank | Platform | Total NZ users | Audience index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4,624,500 | Avg 100 | 87.5% of NZ population. Largest NZ social platform by users. | |
| 2 | YouTube | 4,000,000 | Avg 100 | ~85% of online NZers use YouTube. Not purely social but dominant video platform. |
| 3 | 2,780,600 | Avg 100 | 52.6% of NZ population. 25–34s are the largest Instagram group. | |
| 4 | TikTok | 1,900,000 | Avg 100 | 60% weekly usage among 18–29s. Rapidly growing. Under-30s dominant. |
| 5 | 1,800,000 | Avg 100 | B2B-skewed; strong 30–54 professional audience. Growing in NZ. |
Index 100 = platform-average NZ user. Strong = 130+. Platform ranking changes significantly by demographic — especially for TikTok (dominant 18–29) and Facebook (dominant 55+).
Top 10 NZ websites — overall (all audiences)
Ranked by total monthly visits from New Zealand, all demographics combined. Source: SemRush April 2026.
| # | Website | Category | Monthly visits | Key audience note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | google.com | Search | 403.1M visits | Dominant across all demographics — no meaningful age or gender skew |
| 2 | youtube.com | Video | 161.2M visits | Strong 18–39; declining with age but still top-3 for 55+ |
| 3 | facebook.com | Social | 41.6M visits | Older skew vs other social platforms; broad reach 30–65+ |
| 4 | trademe.co.nz | Marketplace | 22.7M visits | NZ-owned; strong across all adult groups, slight 35–54 peak |
| 5 | stuff.co.nz | News | 18.4M visits | Broad NZ news audience; strongest with 30–54 and 45+ skew |
| 6 | nzherald.co.nz | News | 16.3M visits | Auckland-centric; strong 35–60; premium advertiser audience |
| 7 | instagram.com | Social | 12.8M visits | Strong 18–34; female-skewed; visual content platform |
| 8 | wikipedia.org | Reference | 10.6M visits | Consistent across all ages; slight male and 18–44 skew |
| 9 | reddit.com | Social / Forums | 9.2M visits | Strongly male-skewed; peaks 18–34; niche but highly engaged |
| 10 | countdown.co.nz | Retail / Grocery | 8.4M visits | Grocery online shopping; female-skewed; peaks 30–54 |
Super Media view
Google and YouTube are not really "media buys" in the traditional sense — they're infrastructure that almost every NZ internet user passes through. The strategic question is how well your presence there is configured, not whether to be there.
The most common error in digital planning: buying audiences on Facebook because it has reach, when the target is 18–29s. TikTok now significantly outperforms Facebook in the under-30 segment and Instagram leads for 18–34 females. Audience affinity, not raw user count, should drive channel selection.
Both Stuff and NZHerald quote cross-platform audience figures that substantially exceed their Nielsen Digital Ratings. When comparing digital publisher reach to other digital channels, always use a consistent metric — unique browsers per month from a single source — or you will consistently overpay for news inventory.
Trade Me is often underestimated as a media environment. Its monthly audience (22.7M NZ visits) rivals Facebook in NZ-origin traffic, and its users are in a high-intent purchase mindset. Advertising on Trade Me is underutilised by brand advertisers relative to its actual reach.