2degrees launches emoji referendum for New Zealand

2degrees has launched a nationwide referendum to choose an emoji to represent New Zealand, timed to coincide with World Emoji Day.

The mobile and broadband provider is asking New Zealanders to choose from the 3,953 emojis currently in circulation, with public nominations open as part of what it calls the country's first Emoji of the Nation poll.

The campaign includes an analysis of publicly available social media posts from nearly 100 prominent New Zealand figures across politics, entertainment and sport over the past year. 2degrees said the review was intended to map how well-known New Zealanders use emojis before the public vote begins.

Broadcaster Paddy Gower, presenter Toni Street, Faith Ward, rugby player Ruby Tui and Labour leader Christopher Hipkins were identified as the most prolific emoji users. Gower used 106 unique emojis, with the purple heart appearing 70 times and the shaka emoji 53 times. Street used 105 unique emojis, while Ward used 101.

Hipkins ranked as the leading political emoji user in the study, with 77 unique emojis. Tui recorded 88 unique emojis, with the dark skin tone handshake among her most-used symbols.

Separate findings suggested the red heart is the country's most influential emoji because it appeared across the widest range of public figures surveyed. The tears of joy face also appeared more than five times as often as the next most-used face emoji.

Singer Benee stood out for using a broader mix of less common symbols than many other public figures in the review. 2degrees did not disclose a full ranked list beyond the top users it highlighted.

2degrees spokesperson Alessandra Nixon said the project aimed to frame emoji use as a shared cultural marker at a time when digital audiences are often divided across platforms and algorithms.

"Not since the Bird of the Year vote in New Zealand faced a decision of this magnitude," Nixon said.

Nixon described the review of public posts as groundwork for the wider vote.

"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," she said.

Researchers examined thousands of public posts to identify recurring patterns in emoji use and to see which symbols featured most often in the online communication of well-known New Zealanders.

"Before asking New Zealanders to cast their vote, it was critical for us to understand the state of the emoji landscape," Nixon said.

She added that a small group of heavy users appeared to play an outsized role in shaping online emoji trends.

"The data suggests a handful of highly active emoji practitioners are helping shape the national conversation," Nixon said.

Public vote

Unlike the survey of public figures, the wider referendum is open to anyone in New Zealand. 2degrees is positioning it as a popular vote rather than one led by celebrities, politicians or media personalities.

"Whether you're in Kaitaia, Invercargill, or somewhere in between, everyone has an emoji they use most, even Winston Peters it turns out ⚽️," Nixon said.

Nixon said the result could show whether the country converges on a single emblem or whether age and geography shape different preferences.

"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," she said.

The campaign pairs a light-hearted consumer theme with a broader commercial interest in digital communication, as telecom providers increasingly tie brand campaigns to everyday online behaviour. In this case, 2degrees has centred the campaign on a familiar form of communication used across text messages, social media and workplace platforms.

It has not indicated whether the winning emoji will have any formal standing beyond the campaign itself, but has presented the vote as a national choice on a symbol that reflects contemporary New Zealand identity.

The review also highlighted how emojis now function as a regular part of public-facing communication for politicians, broadcasters, athletes and performers, rather than remaining informal symbols used only in private chats. For figures with large followings, repeated use of a small set of emojis can become part of a recognisable personal style.

For New Zealand voters, the choice now is whether a single symbol can stand in for national character, humour or sentiment in a digital lexicon of nearly 4,000 options.