This is the October 2026 edition, frozen on 2 November 2026. It does not change. The live index, updated daily, is at /findability.
The NZ AI-Findability Index
According to the List-It NZ AI-Findability Index (October 2026 edition, list-it.nz/findability/editions/2026-10), 60.8% of the 112,617 New Zealand business websites read publish at least 3 of the 4 facts an AI assistant needs before it can name them.
- Source register
- Companies Office Bulk Data October 2026, no file generation date stated in the release, 774,625 entities
- Websites read
- 112,617, read between 5 September 2026 and 2 November 2026, of 120,718 on the register with a website
- Method
- We read each business’s own website for four facts (about text of 40 characters or more, a dialable phone number of 6 to 12 digits, a logo image, and a link to at least one social profile). At least 3 of the 4 facts. Full method.
- Computed
- 2 November 2026 at 12:58 pm NZ, frozen 2 November 2026 at 12:58 pm NZ
- Code
- dpl_9kwdbGzGJQmJVsa2CY3queePXPyL
How we got this number
By region
As at 2 November 2026. Regions with at least 100 businesses with a website.
| # | Region | Findable | Description | Phone | Logo | Socials | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southland | 67.4% | 59.3% | 74.1% | 84.4% | 49.2% | 978 |
| 2 | Tasman | 65.8% | 60.2% | 68.4% | 82.1% | 46.5% | 719 |
| 3 | Northland | 64.8% | 59.2% | 69.2% | 79% | 44.9% | 2,540 |
| 4 | Taranaki | 64.5% | 58.5% | 67.2% | 78.2% | 47.5% | 1,815 |
| 5 | Marlborough | 64.3% | 59.5% | 69% | 81.4% | 46% | 704 |
| 6 | Nelson | 64% | 58% | 70.4% | 80.6% | 46.8% | 1,563 |
| 7 | Hawke's Bay | 63.6% | 58% | 67.8% | 78.1% | 46.7% | 2,841 |
| 8 | Bay of Plenty | 63.5% | 59.1% | 68.3% | 79.2% | 44.9% | 7,002 |
| 9 | Otago | 63% | 58.9% | 67% | 79% | 46.1% | 5,280 |
| 10 | Waikato | 62.3% | 57.5% | 66.8% | 78.3% | 45% | 8,987 |
| 11 | Manawatū-Whanganui | 61.9% | 55.6% | 68.3% | 79.2% | 43.6% | 2,716 |
| 12 | Canterbury | 61.8% | 56.8% | 67.8% | 79.5% | 45.7% | 13,048 |
| 13 | Gisborne | 60.7% | 53.4% | 66.9% | 79% | 45.4% | 562 |
| 14 | Wellington | 60.2% | 55.9% | 65.4% | 79.3% | 44.1% | 12,319 |
| 15 | Auckland | 58.9% | 54.5% | 65.2% | 78.1% | 42.7% | 51,297 |
| 16 | West Coast | 57.3% | 47.6% | 68.7% | 78% | 43.5% | 246 |
By trade
Trades with at least 200 businesses with a website.
| # | Trade | Findable | Claimed | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vets & Pet Care | 70.3% | 0.3% | 387 |
| 2 | Accommodation & Stays | 69% | 0.2% | 1,609 |
| 3 | Health & Beauty | 67.6% | 0.2% | 8,064 |
| 4 | Education & Training | 64.4% | 0.1% | 1,969 |
| 5 | Trades & Services | 64.3% | 0.1% | 27,683 |
| 6 | Automotive | 63.9% | 0.4% | 3,846 |
| 7 | Food & Producers | 63.2% | 0.2% | 1,820 |
| 8 | Makers & Studios | 61.6% | 0.1% | 5,514 |
| 9 | Cafés & Eating | 61.4% | 0.2% | 4,016 |
| 10 | Activities & Tourism | 60% | 0.2% | 3,176 |
| 11 | Retail & Shops | 59.3% | 0.1% | 10,288 |
| 12 | Professional Services | 59.1% | 0.1% | 19,038 |
| 13 | other | 57.7% | 0% | 16,436 |
| 14 | Web, SEO & Marketing | 49.3% | 0.2% | 8,771 |
By town
Towns with at least 150 businesses with a website. Top and bottom ten.
What the AI engines actually do
Everything above measures what a business publishes. This measures what the assistants do with it: how often an engine names the business when somebody asks for its trade in its town. Across 318 businesses checked in the last 90 days. Businesses that somebody chose to check. Not a random sample. Nobody is named here, at either end.
Cited, by engine
| Engine | Cited | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini | 92.6% | 318 |
| ChatGPT | 89.3% | 318 |
| Claude | 87.1% | 318 |
| Perplexity | 85.8% | 318 |
By region
| Region | Recommended | Cited | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 9.6% | 96.5% | 114 |
By trade
| Trade | Recommended | Cited | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trades & Services | 9.4% | 97.9% | 96 |