As Aotearoa New Zealand pauses today in recognition of the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, on mountains and coastlines across our landscape, the strong, fibrous leaves of harakeke can be seen blowing in the wind. Sometimes stiff and taller than any person, and sometimes drooping and floppy, with flowers that vary from red to orange to yellow, attracting tūī, korimako (bellbirds), pekapeka (short tailed bats), geckos and all manner of insects to its nectar. Also known as ‘common flax’, harakeke is in fact a lily that provides both shelter and plentiful food for wildlife. 

Harakeke has been used in the traditional art form raranga (flax weaving), which has been passed down through generations in Māoridom, for the creation of everything from baskets to floor mats—even raincoats can be made by combining the harakeke’s hard outer layers together with its soft inner fibres. It also has uses for medicinal purposes, such as aiding in the healing of burns. 

Māori believe the different layers of a harakeke bush symbolise the family lineage—the outer layer represents the grandparents, while the inner layer represents the parents wrapped around the innermost new shoots symbolising the children who all previous generations protect.

Hūtia te rito o te harakeke

Kei hea te kōmako, e kō? 

Kī mai ki ahau he aha te mea nui o tēnei ao? 

Māku e kī atu

He tangata

He tangata

He tangata

If you remove the heart of the flax bush

From where will the Bellbird sing?

If you say to me

What is the most important thing in this world

I will reply to you

It is people, it is people,

It is people!

Emblematic of the distinct native flora that has developed on our islands, why not plant harakeke to attract tūī and other fauna to your backyard?

Search can help you find a world of information – and the way people use Search can be a window into the world. 

Here’s a glimpse of the trending searches of 2021, a year we looked for ways to tie a tie, make self-raising flour and solve a Rubik’s Cube. The highs and lows of the year had us keeping updated on locations of interest, looking into crypto and stock prices and taking our measure on the latest standings of the Olympics medal table. Collectively we mourned losses, marvelled at the Met and spent a few afternoons getting the latest announcements from the Ministry of Health.

Here’s a look at some of the themes from 2021:

Comeback Queens and Kings.

2021 was a year of reunions, redemptions and triumphant releases of the musical kind. We were treated to a 90s throwback with our favourite Friends reuniting on the Central Perk couch. Tiger Woods defied odds to get back on the green and swinging; Adele graced the airwaves to teach us all about 30, and the world celebrated when Cleo Smith was returned to her family safe and sound. We searched for banana bread, scones and carrot cake with almost as much vigour as 2020 - though this year we also had guacamole and playdough on the menu.

Crises, COVID-19 and remember that blocked Canal?

Natural disasters captured our attention this year - both on our shores and farther afield. With earthquakes and tsunamis putting us on high alert, we were also shaken by news of the Kermadec Islands. Understandably we continued to seek more and more information about the pandemic, in a year where the vaccine, new variants and changing restrictions kept us on our toes. We sought answers about the crisis in Afghanistan. And remember that supply chain snafu in the Suez Canal?

Shocking absolutely no-one: Kiwis love sport!

Despite a global pandemic, Kiwis were spoiled with a number of suspenseful, powerful and history-making sporting events this year. As always we searched for games of cricket and all their stats, whether it’s us, India, Australia or Pakistan on the pitch - we’re not partial! We spent days on the water with the America’s Cup in Tāmaki Makaurau’s harbour, Lisa Carrington and the other heroic paddlers in Tokyo, and of course Sophie Pascoe’s medal winning triumph in the Paralympics. Once the Olympics medal table was in the rear view mirror, we celebrated Emma Radacanu’s title win. Because not only did our homegrown athletic heroes make us proud, but we had the NBA, Australian Open, NRL and Euros in the line up!

Understanding the oddities of our world.

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. While the world battled COVID-19, we saw our own surge of RSV through the tail end of winter. We wondered when the next Blood Moon would be, and although it comes every year, we struggled to remember when daylight savings ends or even when to treat our loved ones on Valentine’s, Mother’s or Father’s Days. When seeking a little escapism from our daily lives, our searches show we found entertainment in Squid Game, Sweet Tooth and Bridgerton all bringing new perspectives on reality to our small screens. While we’re discussing fact or fiction…what really is going on with Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian?

Every day, millions of people come to Google to ask questions. Check out the top trending search lists here:

Overall

• COVID-19 NZ

• NBA

• Stuff NZ

• Australia vs India

• NRL

• Locations of interest

• Olympic medal table

• Cricinfo

• My covid record

• Australian Open

Kiwis

• Lisa Carrington

• Lydia Ko

• Judith Collins

• Brian Tamaki

• Chris Cairns

• Lorde

• Sophie Pascoe

• Joseph Parker

• Nicola Willis

• Valerie Adams

Global Figures

• Alec Baldwin

• Christopher Reeve

• Cleo Smith

• Travis Scott

• Kyle Rittenhouse

• Pete Davidson

• Emma Raducanu

• Adele

• Tiger Woods

• Conor McGregor

News Events (non COVID-19)

• Tsunami warning NZ

• Kermadec Islands

• RSV

• Earthquakes today

• Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Cleo Smith

• Afghanistan

• Kyle Rittenhouse

• Suez Canal

• Blood moon

When

• When is fathers day nz

• When is the next covid announcement nz

• When does daylight saving end

• When is valentines day

• When is the next blood moon

• When does the olympics finish

• When is auckland going to level 3

• When does lockdown end nz

• When is the next america's cup race

• When is mothers day nz

Recipes - Sweet

• Apple crumble recipe

• Carrot cake recipe

• Scones recipe

• Cinnamon rolls recipe

• Pancakes recipe

• Banana cake recipe

• Banana bread recipe

• chocolate brownie recipe

• Cheesecake recipe

• Afghan recipe

Recipes - Savoury

• Guacamole recipe

• Pumpkin soup recipe

• Pizza dough recipe

• Bread recipe

• Carbonara recipe

• Naan bread recipe

• Focaccia recipe

• Playdough recipe nz

• Cottage pie recipe

• Hash brown recipe

Loss

• Sean Wainui

• Prince Philip

• Gabby Petito

• DMX

• Sean Lock

• Olivia Podmore

• Brian Laundrie

• Sarah Everard

• Helen McCrory

• Charlie Watts

COVID-19 Related

• COVID-19 NZ

• Locations of interest

• My covid record

• Covid cases today NZ

• Ministry of Health

• My vaccine pass

• Book my vaccine

• My health account

• Traffic light system NZ

• Covid vaccine

Sports

• NBA

• Australia vs India

• NRL

• Olympic medal table

• Cricinfo

• Australian Open

• Pakistan vs New Zealand

• Euros

• America's Cup

• India vs England

TV Shows

• Squid Game

• Bridgerton

• Sweet Tooth

• Firefly Lane

• The Serpent

• Wandavision

• Clickbait

• Friends Reunion

• Maid

• Ginny and Georgia

Image: Dr. Beryl Barratt

Doctor Beryl Barratt left the workforce at a time when computers were not common in the workplace, let alone in the home or even your back pocket. And yet, as an 88 year old retired soil scientist, she’s having to adjust to the rate of technological change we’re all experiencing.  So as banking, grocery shopping and staying in touch with family and friends all moved online at the start of the pandemic lockdowns, Dr. Barratt reached out to a SeniorNet learning centre for lessons on computer technology. Over the past 18 months she has developed skills in writing emails, watching YouTube videos and even scanning QR codes with her smartphone, demonstrating that digital skills can be an important component of lifelong learning. 

SeniorNet, and their peer to peer teaching platform SeniorHangouts,  have been a lifeline to Kiwis throughout the country. For many, these online sessions are as much about the skills they’re learning as the opportunities to interact and socialise with others in the Q&A forum. Now, through funding from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, SeniorNet hopes to bring their digital literacy and online safety workshops to 10,000 more older New Zealanders. In addition to philanthropic funding, Google.org will donate Google Search advertising and Googlers will volunteer time to enable SeniorNet to bring new audiences to their platform, and to assist with their digital strategy.

Heather Newell, SeniorNet’s Executive Officer said, “As we went into lockdown in early 2020, we realised our face to face learning centres weren’t going to be able to support disconnected seniors in the same way.  After a very special call from the Google team we were able to add the opportunity for seniors to meet online. We were able to continue our work at a really critical time for Kiwis to remain online and we’re so grateful for this continued support and funding from Google.org.”

Google New Zealand first began supporting SeniorNet with their digital transformation in early 2020. To date, SeniorNet has delivered more than 2000 hours of online learning, and plans to reach more New Zealanders through different languages and formats. As this programme evolves, we’re proud to support their work to assist even more people with the digital skills required to thrive in an increasingly online world.