A Year On YouTube New Zealand: 2022’s Top Trending Videos & Creators

In 2022, you paid tribute to the loss of a legend, crowned a new most-subscribed creator, and set a record for the most-viewed face reveal on YouTube. You also vibed out to a Puerto Rican superstar and drove a new class of short-form comedians to widespread success. You even dove into documentaries on New Zealand’s unique geography.

Top Trending Videos

This year’s top trending videos show that individual, online communities are more influential than ever before. Take the large presence of videos featuring personal stories, which allowed creators to intimately connect with and recognize their fans: Technoblade’s father recorded a farewell message penned by his late son to his viewers; Dream finally dropped the mask for a long-awaited hello; and Dental Digest found its niche online. Meanwhile, moments involving traditional celebrities like Will Smith and the 90s nostalgia of the Halftime Show gained new levels of relevance because of the ways communities reinterpreted them for their audiences through memes, parodies, and more. And, of course, top creators like MrBeast continued to bring their viewers together with larger than life challenges. 

In this year’s top ten you’ll also find an investigation into New Zealand’s chance of a megaquake, Mark Rober’s latest attempt to foil phone scammers, and Sidemen proving that if the format isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

1. Guardian News - Watch the uncensored moment Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, drops F-bomb
2. NFL - Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar & 50 Cent FULL Pepsi SB LVI Halftime Show
3. MrBeast - World’s Most Dangerous Escape Room!
4. Technoblade - so long nerds
5. Mark Rober - Pranks Destroy Scam Callers- GlitterBomb Payback
6. Sidemen - SIDEMEN TINDER IN REAL LIFE 4 (USA YOUTUBE EDITION)
7. Out There Learning - The Coming Megaquake in New Zealand
8. Dream - hi, I'm Dream.
9. VICE - Is the World’s Weirdest Drug Market In New Zealand? | The War on Drugs
10. Dental Digest - DIY Bubble Gum vs. Hubba Bubba Toothbrush!

Top Shorts 

The first-ever Top Shorts list shows that when it comes to short-form, feel-good content — whether it’s sketch comedy or mesmerising tricks — reigns supreme. Kiwis were intrigued by surprising, unbelievable and revealing everyday moments.

1. Shangerdanger - Diver Cracks Egg at 45 ft Deep #Shorts
2. Hingaflips - Sarah Trust Challenges
3. Adrian Bliss - Welcome to the stomach #shorts
4. Brodie That Dood - Come with me to shave my fluffy dog! #doggrooming #grooming #goldendoodle
5. Chris Ivan - Dave and Busters Bet Me 1000 Tickets I Couldn’t Do THIS…
6. Zack D. Films - This Magic Trick EXPLAINED 😱 (America's Got Talent)
7. Jay & Sharon - That GAP Between Your Car Seat and Center Console
8. Hafu Go - 1 Inch Punch (Can You Break This Board?)
9. JoJo's World - SHE PULLED THE SWORD OUT OF THE STONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME IN DISNEY WORLD
10. The Kelly Clarkson Show - Anne Hathaway’s GENIUS cupcake hack!

Top Creators

Among Top Creators, MrBeast claimed the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year in a row. While other big names appear in the top 10, there are also many newcomers who are reaching viewers across a range of video formats.

1. MrBeast
2. NichLmao
3. Airrack
4. Zhong
5. Stokes Twins
6. Ryan Trahan
7. Brent Rivera
8. Jesser
9. Isaiah Photo
10. Sidemen

Breakout Creators

Many of 2022’s Breakout creators, meanwhile, are finding their niches within Shorts, putting a fresh spin on Minecraft trends and mind blowing magic tricks.

1. Jesser
2. Beta Squad
3. Jamie Nyland
4. Maizen
5. Jooj Natu ENG
6. Kat
7. Dayta
8. Shangerdanger
9. PAS Magic
10. TheMagicMatt

Top Music Videos

When it comes to music, the top 10 music videos this year demonstrate the breadth of musical interest in Aotearoa. From Disney to Lizzo, with a little Tyga and Harry Styles thrown in for good measure. 

1. DisneyMusicVEVO - Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz - What Else Can I Do? (From "Encanto")
2. DisneyMusicVEVO - 4*TOWN (From Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red) - Nobody Like U (From "Turning Red")
3. HarryStylesVEVO - Harry Styles - As It Was (Official Video)
4. 803KingGeorge - King George - Keep On Rollin (Official Audio)
5. Sidhu Moose Wala - LEVELS - Official Video | Sidhu Moose Wala ft Sunny Malton | The Kidd
6. DisneyMusicVEVO - Encanto - Cast - All Of You (From "Encanto"/Sing-Along)
7. Sidhu Moose Wala - THE LAST RIDE - Offical Video | Sidhu Moose Wala | Wazir Patar
8. Burna Boy - Burna Boy - Last Last [Official Music Video]
9. TygaVEVO - Tyga, Doja Cat - Freaky Deaky (Official Video)
10. Lizzo Music - Lizzo - About Damn Time [Official Video]

Dig into top trending videos from around the world at https://yt.be/top10.