National Referendum Launched on World Emoji Day to identify the symbol that defines New Zealand in 2026

At a time of rapid change and the all-powerful algorithm has increasingly fragmented audiences, what still brings us together? What symbols define the soul of a nation?

First invented in 1999, the humble emoji is more than a mere reaction, fire, or sparkles. It captures something ineffable, conveying so much more than words.

For the first time in history, Kiwis will have a chance to say which of the 3,953 emojis best reflects our nation. Will the crying laugh face reign supreme? Or the shaka brah? Ultimately, it is for New Zealand to decide.

“Not since the Bird of the Year vote in New Zealand faced a decision of this magnitude,” says Alessandra Nixon 2degrees spokesperson. “Every day, millions of emojis are exchanged across group chats, social feeds and workplace messages, yet we've never stopped to ask which one truly represents us."

Ahead of the nationwide public vote, the country’s most emoji-forward telco has embarked on a rigorous analysis of thousands of publicly available social media posts published over the past year by nearly 100 prominent New Zealanders across politics, entertainment and sport.

The findings surface revealing insights of how our most influential citizens wield their preferred emoji.

“Before asking New Zealanders to cast their vote, it was critical for us to understand the state of the emoji landscape,” says Nixon. “The data suggests a handful of highly active emoji practitioners are      helping shape the national conversation.”

Paddy Gower and Toni Street, in particular, are some of the most prolific emoji users in the media sphere, while Christopher Hipkins leads the political pack.

Emoji Power Users

Total unique emojis used + top emoji use

1. Paddy Gower, 106 (💜x70), (honourable mention 🤙x53)
2. Toni Street, 105 (✨x34)
3. Faith Ward 101 (🥹x39)
4. Ruby Tui, 88 (🤝🏾x9)
5. Chris Hipkins, 77 (🤝 x34)

The findings also reveal that:

• ❤️ is New Zealand's most influential emoji, appearing across the widest range of prominent public figures.
• Benee has one of the most distinctive emoji vocabularies, favouring a range of rare and unexpected symbols.
• 😂 appears more than five times as often as the next most-used face emoji, proving Kiwis still love a laugh.

While the report establishes that many of our most influential Kiwis are prolific emoji connoisseurs, the Emoji of the Nation referendum will not be determined by a privileged few.

“Whether you’re in Kaitaia, Invercargill, or somewhere in between, everyone has an emoji they use most, even Winston Peters it turns out ⚽️.” says Nixon. “We’re looking forward to seeing whether New Zealand unites behind a clear favourite, or whether regional loyalties and generational differences produce a contested result.”

Voting is now open at www.2degrees.nz/emojiofthenation, where New Zealanders are invited to nominate the emoji they believe best represents our proud island nation.

The winning emoji will be announced later this month as New Zealand’s first official Emoji of the Nation.