Google pushing ahead with NZ market share 

Online search engine Google is hungry for more presence in New Zealand despite having cornered 93% of the New Zealand market.

"Only 11 years ago it was just a search engine with a funny name and now it's global giant that's got this huge market share," says Fiona Rotherham of Fairfax Media.

Globally, the search engine has 60% of the online search market. Its nearest competitors Yahoo and China's Baidu have 15% and Microsoft has a modest 3%

"The figures are even more compelling in New Zealand. They've got a 93% share of the online search market here in New Zealand, and of course they want more of the online advertising revenue so they've ramped up there presence here," says Rotherham.

Popular online auction site TradeMe, which was started up by Sam Morgan and later sold to Fairfax, is one reason why Google has not been able to get as much traction in New Zealand as it has elsewhere, according to Fairfax Media's weekly The Independent.

TradeMe accounts for 65% of internet activity in New Zealand.

Rotherham says Google, whose New Zealand business is run out of Australia, says Google's initiatives in New Zealand range from its flu tracking service Flu Trends, real estate listings on Google Maps, and an online comparison for local movie session times.

---

---