How we rank
Top5.nz ranks New Zealand businesses using public data only. Rankings are determined by the data, not by payment.
Data source
Rankings are derived from publicly available business ratings and customer reviews. We collect this data on a rolling cycle and recalculate scores on each update.
How scoring works
Each business is scored automatically using four signals: star rating, review volume, the proportion of 1-star reviews, and review velocity. Rating is weighted most heavily. Volume matters but is capped on a logarithmic scale, so a business with 500 reviews doesn't simply steamroll one with 100. Businesses with a disproportionate share of 1-star reviews receive a compounding penalty that increases sharply as the proportion grows. Velocity rewards businesses actively accumulating new reviews — a business gaining reviews steadily will score higher than one that peaked years ago with the same total count.
What counts
- Google star rating
- Total review count
- Proportion of 1-star reviews
- Review velocity (recent growth rate)
What doesn't count
- Advertising or payments
- Verified or claimed status
- Manual editorial picks
Listing tiers
The five highest-scoring businesses for this category and city. Purely merit-based and unpurchasable.
Positions 6–10 by score. Merit-based.
Update frequency
Rankings are refreshed on a rolling cycle, with each city updated approximately monthly. This gives the data enough time to reflect genuine shifts in customer satisfaction, rather than reacting to individual review spikes.
Editorial independence
Rankings are calculated from public data only. No business can pay to influence its ranking score. We offer paid options for businesses — these are always clearly labelled. The algorithm determines rankings.