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Toys Come Up Trumps with New Zealanders Between the Sheets
on Nov 23, 2021
Ever wondered how sexy Kiwis really are? Wonder no more.
At Lovehoney, it’s our job to help people find and explore their sexual happiness. It’s no easy feat but it’s a hell of a lot of fun and one of the things which helps us do it is finding out about your sexual habits. How do we do that? Surveys, of course!
We love a sex statistic at Lovehoney - who doesn’t? - which is why we are pumped to share the results of a survey we conducted of over 1,000 New Zealanders. How often are Kiwis having sex? Are they using sex toys? How kinky are they getting in the bedroom? We found all that out and more - read on so you can too.
Doin’ It: Who, What, When and Why?
On average (47%), Kiwis are having sex at least once a week with 19% indulging in a little bit of what you fancy 1-2 times a week. Pretty solid numbers there we’d say but what is really encouraging about these figures is the majority of people saying they are more focussed on the quality over quantity of sex they are having - and rightly so! When we take the time to explore and communicate our needs and desires to our sexual partners as well as taking ownership of our own pleasure, the results can be magical.
As for which generation is getting it on the most, millennials are the front runners. People aged between 25-34 are having the most sex, followed by Gen Z and Gen X which makes sense when you consider how much this generation advocates for mental health. 48% of those surveyed said they thought sex is good for their mental health and 44% said it makes them happier.
One of our favourite sexologists, Chantelle Otten agrees. She says, “Many of us spent a lot of 2021 in lockdown which has undoubtedly impacted our mental health and overall well being. However, sex has been one of the driving factors to boost mental wellbeing during these unprecendented times.”
Masturbation Nation
The same goes for buttering the biscuit and beating the meat. Masturbation can do wonders for our mental health, our libido and our partnered sex life but you know what else? It just feels good. Of those who stated they partook in a cheeky bit of the five knuckle shuffle or rubbin’ the nubbin, 61% said they do it because it “feels good”, 40% because they were “feeling horny” and 39% because they want “to orgasm”.
How often are Kiwis practising self-love anyway? 2 in 5 are masturbating at least once a week. There have long been unnecessary taboo feelings towards masturbation but it’s great to see New Zealanders embracing their bodies and their pleasure while alone.
Who said it has to be completely solo anyway? Not Kiwis. 49% of those surveyed had masturbated with a partner. Our Lovehoney sex coach, Cam Fraser says, “one of the biggest benefits [of mutual masturbation] is that it's basically a masterclass on how your partner likes to be touched. You've both got front row seats to a demonstration on what gets your partner off! Playing and climaxing together can also relieve stress, and insomnia, help alleviate pain and even keep you looking younger and living longer.”
Toys, toys, toys
One thing we know for sure from the results is New Zealanders are not ones to shy away from sex toys. In fact, 90% of people agree using them enhances their experience with a partner while 6 in 10 people agree they enhance their self-pleasure with half of the sex toy users saying it helps them orgasm.
“Sex toys are an amazing way to level up your pleasure and can be an exciting way to increase desire and sexual satisfaction between you and your partner. Designed to be an extension of your sexual potential, sex toys provide wonderful opportunities to try something different in the bedroom and can help you and your partner discover new ways to connect, plus increase the quality of your sexual encounters,” Chantelle says.
We also found once you get into the habit of using sex toys you can become more experimental with 60% of people who regularly use sex toys open to trying new products. Need some inspo on what to try next? The most popular sex toys in NZ are dildos (43%), clitoral stimulators (32%), cock rings (26%), G-spot vibrators (23%) and rabbit vibrators (19%).
Think kink
“A kink is anything sexual that can be considered to fall outside of convention, and is different for everyone. Some things that commonly are referred to as kink include BDSM, role play and fetishes,” Cam Fraser says.
While 50% of Kiwis consider themselves adventurous in the bedroom, we found those claims could be a little bit far fetched. For example, most hadn’t tried some sexual acts which are arguably only slightly more “risque” than the normalised sex. Just 28% had participated in phone sex and 18% in video sex, while 17% had participated in group sex.
That being said, there was a noticeable love for lovin’ in the great outdoors with 51% saying they have had sex outside.
Giving the gift of pleasure
For a lot of people, there’s nothing quite as memorable as receiving a sex toy as a gift. While 2 in 3 people said they would happily gift someone a sex toy, if giving one sounds like something you might be feeling a bit nervous about, leave your apprehension at the door. 6 in 10 people surveyed said they would be open to receiving a sex toy as a gift which means chances are, your S.O. would be too.
