Google still handles the large majority of search in New Zealand. That share has been slowly slipping as AI tools pick up ground, but let’s be clear: Google isn’t going anywhere, at least for the moment.
What’s actually changing is how people — your customers — move between Google, AI tools, and a final decision. And that’s worth understanding, whatever kind of business you run.
Because New Zealanders are already there. Recent research shows around three-quarters of Kiwis have used an AI tool in the past year. Globally, ChatGPT leads by far, with Google’s Gemini (built into Google Search itself) growing fast, and tools like Perplexity carving out a niche with people who research before they decide. (Kiwi stat: One NZ AI Trust Report, 2026: https://media.one.nz/ai-trust-report-2026)
But there’s a pattern forming in how AI is being used.
People are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT to build a shortlist, then turning to social media, reviews or a business’s own website to confirm their decision. So even when AI isn’t the final stop, it’s shaping who makes the shortlist in the first place. (Bain & Company, 2026: https://www.bain.com/insights/your-next-customer-will-find-you-using-ai-now-what/)
People’s search habits are changing too.
Some say AI is driving how we search. I’d argue it’s the other way round. Our world’s changing at a pace — and we’re simply seeking faster, more nuanced answers, and AI is just the tool that’s been developed to keep up with that demand.
For example, instead of typing “plumber Whangārei” and scanning a list, someone might ask an AI tool “Who’s a reliable plumber in Whangārei with good reviews?”
The businesses that get recommended aren’t there because they paid for an ad. They’re there because their online presence gave the AI enough confidence to name them.
That’s really the whole shift in one sentence: getting found used to mean ranking. And clever SEO tactics helped us do that. But now, it’s less about gaming the system and more about being trusted by the people searching, and by the systems forming answers on their behalf.
The bit that actually matters.
I bet a lot of business owners assume AI works the way Google ranking used to — one website — it ranks, or it doesn’t.
AI tools build their answers from multiple places at once — your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, your social media, other directories and third-party mentions. No single platform carries the whole load (and each AI tool weighs each source differently). It’s the sum of everything you’ve built online that gives an AI system enough confidence to recommend you.
And here’s the reassuring part. Even as more searches end without a click, AI systems still have to get their answers from somewhere — they’re not inventing information; they’re reading and interpreting it from websites, reviews, and profiles just like yours.
I’ve seen this play out directly — a client’s expertise, once written about elsewhere, started surfacing in AI-generated answers not long after. So, your website’s job hasn’t disappeared (and on-page SEO is still important). It’s just doing its work a little earlier in the process, shaping the answer rather than always being the final destination.
[Disclaimer: Despite AI pulling information from various sources, it also synthesises it, and sometimes these ‘AI summaries’ can, in fact, be inaccurate. You can be incorrectly sourced. You can receive the wrong advice. And you won’t necessarily know. That can be the problem with AI results.]
What that means for you.
You don’t need a different strategy for AI versus Google — it’s the same one, done consistently: a complete, current Google Business Profile, reviews you’re actively asking for, website content that’s genuinely useful and up to date, and a story that’s consistent everywhere someone might go to vet you (including social media).
FAQS
Do I need to rewrite all my website content for AI?
Not necessarily. Write naturally, for the people you’re actually trying to reach, answering their real questions in plain language that’s easy to digest. That’s exactly the kind of content AI tools favour, and your online visitors will likely resonate with it too (once they find you). The businesses that struggle are the ones writing for machines instead of people, or those using generic information without any original input.
What’s actually different about how AI shows results compared to Google?
Traditional search engines hand you a list of businesses they think best match what you’re after, and leave the comparing to you. AI tools tend to skip that step: they read the same kind of information but hand back a carefully curated answer. Google’s own AI Overviews are increasingly doing this too, so it’s less AI-versus-Google and more search as a whole shifting from lists to answers (but that obviously depends on the question asked).
Does social media affect whether AI recommends my business?
Yes — social platforms are one of the places AI tools pull from when building an answer, alongside your website, Google Business Profile and reviews. Active, consistent online content is what helps build the kind of credibility and trust both Google and AI tools draw on.
🔑 Your key takeaway
Northland businesses don’t need to chase every new AI tool or overhaul everything overnight. Gaps are what AI systems notice first — and so do your customers. And remember, you’re not competing with the world. You’re likely competing with the business down the road. So, the goal isn’t to outrank a national brand; it’s to show up more credibly than your local competitor when the right person goes looking.
Get that right, and you’re covered whether someone finds you through Google, word of mouth or a post on social media.
Author: Maree Gately is a freelance marketing consultant based in Whangārei, working with small local businesses here and across NZ. Her mahi can also be found on her community-focused Facebook page, Hello Whangārei. [www.spreadtheword.nz]
