Top 100+ New Zealand Best Songs of All Time (NZ Music History)

New Zealand top 100 songs of all time – New Zealand music industry keep growing from time to time. Music of New Zealand mainly influence by blues, jazz, rock and roll and country music. Throughout its history, there are several popular songs from New Zealand artist. But what is New Zealand best songs of all time?

From past to present, there are popular singers or bands from New Zealand that achieve international success such as Split Enz, OMC, Bic Runga, Savage, The Naked and Famous, Kimbra and in recent years, Lorde, that break into worldwide fame as the youngest solo artist ever to reach number one US Billboard Top 100 chart.

The modern music of New Zealand have change a bit from past music, with use of modern music instrument and style rather than classic one such as Maori music and Taongo music.

Some of the best NZ songs become hit song, inside country and also overseas. We can see some popular New Zealand songs in NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. This Official New Zealand Music Chart is published by Recorded Music New Zealand.

So what is NZ best songs ever? It’s hard to pick 10 or 20, so we suggest to choose NZ top 100 songs of all time. In 2001, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) select list of 100 best New Zealand songs of all time. This list was created to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the APRA.

As many as 900 candidate songs were choosen to ARPA members to vote. The top 30 songs were released on the Nature’s Best CD. Below we will show list of New Zealand top 100 best songs of all time as voted by ARPA in 2001 (song title and artist).

(read also list of best Australia country singers)

Top 100 New Zealand Best Songs of All time

New Zealand Top 40 Best Songs (2001-present)

Of course we know that those list above is only rank NZ best song from 2001 backwards. What about songs that come out after 2001? Here are our list of NZ top 40 popular songs on the 2000s from 2001 onward to present day.

1. Lorde – Royals
2. Scribe – Not Many
3. Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (feat Kimbra)
4. Lorde – Green Light
5. Misfits of Science – Fools Love
6. The Naked and Famous – Young Blood
7. Savage – Swing
8. Atlas – Crawl
9. J. Williams – You Got Me (feat Scribe)
10. Ben Lummis – They Can’t Take That Away
11. Titanium – Come Home
12. Lorde – Tennis Court
13. Jackie Thomas – It’s Worth
14. Flight of the Conchords – Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)
15. Goodshirt – Sophie
16. The Underdogs – A Very Silent Night
17. P-Money – Stop the Music (feat Scribe & PNC)
18. Stan Walker – Black Box
19. Tiki Taane – Always on My Mind
20. Savage – Moonshine
21. Brooke Fraser – Something in the Water
22. Six60 – Rise Up 2.0
23. Ginny Blackmore and Stan Walker – Holding You
24. Avalanche City – Love Love Love
25. Smashproof – Brother (feat Gin Wigmore)
26. Lorde – Team
27. Michael Murphy – So Damn Beautiful
28. Rosita Vai – All I Ask
29. The Hard Way – It’s On
30. Scribe – Dreaming
31. Avalanche City – Inside Out
32. Nesian Mystik – Nesian 101
33. Timmy Trumpet and Savage – Feaks
34. Boyband – You Really Got Me
35. Ginny Blackmore – Bones
36. Adeaze – Getting Stronger (feat Aaradhna)
37. Six60 – Special
38. P-Money – Everything (feat Vince Harder)
39. Dei Hamo – We Gon’ Ride
40. Matthew Saunoa – Hold Out

There are many hit song in New Zealand each year. Several best artist in NZ such as Lorde, Savage, Six60, Ginny Blackmore, Avalanche City, Kimbra and other always compete in NZ music chart weekly.