Lorde a more popular search than local elections

Lorde.

Northlanders are more interested in Kiwi singing sensation Lorde or American reality TV star Kim Kardashian than local body politics, if their Google searches are anything to go by.

Postal voting for New Zealand's last local elections began on September 20, 2013 and voting closed on October 12.

Northland searches for the term "elections" relative to total searches reached its 2013 peak between October 6 and 12, according to Google Trends.

Google rated levels of interest from the lowest at one, rising as interest levels go up.

Search interest in "elections" went from 9 to 100 in one week.

However, the America's Cup attracted more relative interest the previous month, when Emirates Team New Zealand narrowly lost the competition to Oracle Team USA.

Google searches for Whangarei mayor Sheryl Mai also increased relative to total searches in October.

She was the most searched mayoral candidate name in the Northland region in 2013.

However, data showed Northlanders were more likely to be searching for New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde during election month. Her single Royals topped the charts in 2013.

Northland searches for American socialite Kim Kardashian also trumped searches for mayoral candidates in the month of the elections.

Nationally, searches for the term "elections" relative to total searches also peaked in the week before voting closed.

The most searched Auckland mayoral candidate in 2013 was Len Brown. However, Google searches for Mr Brown peaked after the local elections, following the revelation of his affair with Bevan Chuang, who was on Auckland Council's ethnic peoples advisory panel.

Candidates for this year's local elections will be announced in August. Voting papers will be delivered between September 16 and 21, and voting closes on October 8.