This was the year that reality TV took over in Australia and the NZ charts updated their format to conform to modern listening trends, as a result there'll be fewer songs to make it big through artistic merit from here on out. That said, music would continue to thrive for at least another decade before it found itself in any real trouble.
She already had a massive breakthrough with her debut album from the late 90's, so it's only natural that Bic Runga's second album would be even bigger this decade given how the kiwis had finally begun to look after their own music scene at the turn of the millennium. She would have another successful album later in the decade proving that her popularity was phenomenal but not something that would last forever.
Peak position #1x8
Hit singles
Get some sleep #3
Something good #4
Listening for the weather #14
Given how these guys already had minor success over in NZ by the time Fergie joined their ranks for this album, it makes sense that it would be more of an immediate success over there than it was here in Australia which resulted in its being slightly more success over there. Still, this was the only reason why it ranks slightly higher on these lists as once it did crossover here, its popularity was inescapable.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Where is the love #1
Shut up #1
Hey mama #4
Let's get it started #6
Before she became a mainstay for the controversial religious group Hillsong, Brooke Fraser was a popular folk singer/songwriter from NZ who scored a massive hit with her debut album at the tender age of twenty. While she never was able to crossover to Australia despite eventually joining the Australian religious group, I doubt she cared considering how inescapable she was in her homeland.
Peak position #1x3
Hit singles
Better #3
Lifeline #7
Saving the world #15
Arithmetic #8
Without you #16
It appears the kiwis were also interested in having Green day reinvent themselves from punk rockers singing about masturbation (among other things) to becoming politically active against the American government on this album, in fact I get the feeling this was more of a surprise comeback over there than it was here given how none of their albums since Dookie had any success whatsoever prior to this.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
American idiot #7
Boulevard of broken dreams #5
Holiday #13
Wake me up when September ends #10
Jesus of suburbia #26
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, this is just further proof that tampering with an album's release schedule does little to impact its overall success even if the third single from this album was delayed here due to Australian idol shenanigans rather than to promote the album. Their career trajectory over there was the same as it was over here.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Bring me to life #3
Going under #4
My immortal #2
It's no surprise that this was one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ given how it managed to make an appearance on the Australian side of my site, after all, if even we Aussies can appreciate the talent on display here, then there was little doubt that her fellow kiwis would make this an instant classic over there.
Peak position #1x22
Much like the rest of the world, the kiwis weren't interested in this debut album from Maroon 5 upon its initial release in 2002, however they changed their minds also like the rest of the world when the second single began making waves on the radio. While the band did have their naysayers back in the day, at least it was mainly from people who merely found them overrated as opposed to what everyone thinks of them now.
Peak position #1x6
Hit singles
Harder to breathe #33
This love #4
She will be loved #18
Sunday morning #21
Must get out #38
The success this debut album from Delta Goodrem had over in NZ feels more in line with what it should've achieved here in Australia given how ridiculously overplayed it was here back in the day, indeed I don't think there was any backlash to the Neighbours star over there or even internationally as this did manage to crossover worldwide due to its success as well as her role in the TV soap opera.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Born to try #1
Lost without you #4
Innocent eyes #14
Not me not I #11
This third album from the Feelers was initially only a modest success upon its release in their homeland, I'm guessing because the kiwis felt that their time was up and wanted to move onto other local rock bands of the day such as Goldenhorse or Evermore. It was given a second chance a year after its initial release due to the surprise success of one of its singles which in turn made it a hugely successful album.
Peak position #6
Hit singles
Larger than life #16
Weapons of war #34
The fear #13
Stand up #17
From what I can gather, Elemeno P were the NZ equivalent of the likes of the Living end and Grinspoon, that is to say, a pop punk band who appealed to the disenfranchised youth of the day which resulted in their popularity in their homeland. This was their debut album, which was a massive success for the band, although it appeared that their fans would quickly grow tired of them as their subsequent follow ups failed to catch on.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
Fast time in Tahoe #32
Verona #10
Urban getaway #27
I guess the kiwis had decided that Dido would become an album artist with her sophomore effort like she was here in Australia given how none of the singles on this album became a massive hit for her like the ones on her previous album. Still, this was an impressive feat for her given how many of her contemporaries struggled to even have one successful album this decade worldwide, let alone two.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
White flag #12
Life for rent #17
It appears the kiwis were willing to have this double album from the two members of Outkast be an instant success over there as opposed to us Aussies where it needed to be declared album of the year at the Grammys before we made it a success here. Evidently, the duo released one more album later in the decade that was such a critical and commercial failure that it prompted them to go their separate ways.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Hey ya #2
The way you move #6
Roses #5
Unlike in Australia where this album had most of its success from the lower half of the charts, it appears the kiwis were more consistently impressed with the album cycle that it managed to remain in the upper half of their charts for much longer during its chart run. As such, it manages to have a more accurate placement on this list with how popular it was in both countries back in the day.
Peak position #1x3
Hit singles
Somewhere I belong #1
Numb #13
From the inside #27
Breaking the habit #50
This was even more of a success over in NZ for G'N'R, mainly because the band did have more success during their heyday in the late 80's and early 90's over there which would explain why the kiwis were eager to revisit their back catalogue when this was initially released. I can only imagine their disappointment once Chinese democracy finally dropped later in the decade.
Peak position #1x4
This was even more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, once again proving that tampering with an album's release schedule with its singles does little in incentivise people into checking out said album. Here Usher was able to have uninterrupted success with his album about his relationship with Chilli from TLC in NZ due to the singles not having the threat of being pulled from their shelves.
Peak position #1x6
Hit singles
Yeah #1
Burn #1
Caught up #12
Well, I did mention that the lead single of this British opera band was from NZ, so naturally this meant that both of their albums proved to be more successful over there than the band's native UK (where they both duly flopped.) Even though the band was inescapable in George Sewell's homeland, it appears that wasn't enough for them to stay together as they called it quits later in the decade.
Peak position #1x3
I did say that this was a much bigger success in NZ than it was here in Australia on that side of my site, this is likely due to the album not being pushed aside over there in favour of a reality show taking over their music industry which was the case over here. It could also be the kiwis genuinely loved their brand of glam/hair metal much more than we Aussies did as they certainly had their detractors back in the day.
Peak position #5
Hit singles
I believe in a thing called love #10
Love is only a feeling #22
By far the most successful rapper from NZ was Scribe, at least if we're looking at how well they've all done here in Australia he is given how this album managed to appear on the Australian side of this site. Predictably, it was a massive success in his homeland given how it managed to spawn two of the biggest hits of the decade for him over there that even saw minor success down under.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
Stand up #1
Not many #2
Dreaming #1
This took its sweet time in finding success over in NZ, in fact it wasn't until fifteen months after its initial release that it finally became a best seller for the indie band Goldenhorse even after it spawned a massive sleeper hit which initially brought it some mainstream success the year prior. It took a circuitous route to its success; however, it paid off as their next album was also a big hit for them.
Peak position #1x3
Hit singles
Maybe tomorrow #10
Wake up brother #17
Northern lights #43
Just like her previous album, Norah Jones was able to find more success with her sophomore album in NZ than she did here in Australia, I'm guessing because in addition to throwback jazz being more in vogue over in NZ than it was down under, there also wasn't much competition she had to face given how NZ idol didn't completely dominate their music industry when it premiered this year like Australian idol did for our music industry.
Peak position #1x6
Hit singles
Sunrise #29
It may have been panned by critics and audiences alike, however that didn't prevent this album from Eminem being a massive success for him worldwide likely due to it having a trainwreck feel to it to the point where many people (me included) speculate that it was deliberately sabotaged in order to scare off people who considered him to be a martyr for their childhoods.
Peak position #1x4
Hit singles
Just lose it #1
Like toy soldiers #2
Mockingbird #8
Ass like that #9
This managed to be more of a mainstream success for Joss Stone in NZ than it was here in Australia this year, perhaps because it like many other entries on this list that appeared on that side of my site didn't get sidelined over there in favour of the Australian Idol phenomenon which resulted in this years being very negatively received by music historians as far as the Australian music landscape was concerned.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
Fell in love with a boy #23
Although this debut album from Katchafire appears quite low on this list, it was indeed one of the biggest hits of the decade in their native NZ albeit by charting for a considerable amount of time on the lower half of their charts, hence its low placement on this list. There's still one more album to come from the band that will appear on this site even if this is their only album to spawn hits for them.
Peak position #5
Hit singles
Giddy up #4
Who you with #10
Get away #8
Naturally this would be more of a success in the homeland of the Finn brothers than it was here in Australia given how they've both retained their popularity years after the demise of both Split enz and Crowded house, it further benefitted from NZ Idol not dominating their mainstream like the Australian equivalent did, which means it had little competition from reality stars over there like it did over here.
Peak position #1x3
Hit singles
Won't give in #16
Nothing wrong with you #35
Given how many hits this debut album from Adeaze managed to spawn in their homeland, it would've been bizarre had the album failed to become a hit over there like it did for the duo. Even with all of this success however, the duo didn't release another album for the rest of the decade and only did so in 2011 when their hype had long died out.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
A life without you #3
How deep is your love #6
Getting stronger #1
Sunshine #8
Given how NZ Idol wasn't clogging up the charts in NZ, this debut album from Franz Ferdinand had more success overall in the upper echelons of their charts compared to here in Australia. It was a bit of a shock to be to see how this was pushed aside here in Australia back in the day given how anthemic the album remains to this day, although this formula didn't work out for the Scottish band with their subsequent releases.
Peak position #5
Hit singles
Take me out #16
This was a hit again during the midpoint of the decade in NZ, further proving how much the kiwis loved UB40 even going into the new millennium (or at least their back catalogue.)
Peak position #5
There was no shortage of classical music making it big in the NZ music scene this decade, here we have the debut album of Yulia Beredenko who was a Russian born teenage opera singer who won over her fellow kiwis with this album enough to make it among the most successful of the decade over there. She managed to have a second successful album later in the decade before she faded into obscurity.
Peak position #1x4
I mentioned on my 2001 list that the success these guys had over in NZ mirror what they achieved here in Australia, as such we have their second and final album making a reappearance on this list which became popular over there thanks to how inescapable Eminem was throughout the rest of the world.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
My band #1
How come #6
Not only was this predictably more of a success for Ray Charles in NZ given the kiwis fondness for RNB over us Aussies, but it also appears that it was an immediate success over there as well given how it appears on more than one of these lists which was the case for the Australian side of this site.
Peak position #3
Well, I did mention that this breakthrough from John Butler Trio here in Australia did manage to achieve massive success over in NZ this year, I'm guessing the kiwis wanted to have at least one album from the Australian alternative scene to be a massive mainstream success and so passed up the opportunity to make the lead single another case of being a bigger hit over there than it was over here as a result.
Peak position #9
Hit singles
Zebra #27
Given how A: Norah Jones was experiencing way more success in NZ than she was in Australia and B: the NZ idol phenomenon didn't come at the experience of what else was happening in the mainstream this year, it only seems natural that Katie Melua would find more success over there than she did over here with her breakthrough album.
Peak position #4
This greatest hits album became a hit multiple times in NZ this decade, this was the second time it was a success likely due to Rod's popularity being reignited with his Motown throwback albums he was releasing throughout the decade.
Peak position #4
At least the soundtrack to the second Shrek film managed to be a success in NZ, I'm not sure why the first film's soundtrack didn't even chart over there as from what I can gather, the kiwis loved the franchise just as much as we Aussies did, and the soundtracks are a large reason as to why the franchise is so well beloved even to this day.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Accidentally in love #39
Unlike in Australia where this was an inescapable success for Robbie Williams, it was only a decent success in NZ likely due to his earlier catalogue already been discovered by the kiwis with his first greatest hits package from the start of the decade and this feeling a tad unnecessary given the success of his previous three albums over there.
Peak position #1x4
Korn had a pretty good run during the 90's over in NZ, so it makes sense to me that this greatest hits package of theirs would be a success over there when it wasn't over here in Australia even though they did have at least once successful album over here with Follow the leader.
Peak position #3
This was shaping up to be an excellent decade for British jazz artists in NZ as Jamie Cullum was the latest to find massive success over there with this album from the genre, although it remains his only successful album in his catalogue despite having a long career in his homeland. Still, it's one of several albums on this list to find more success over there than it did over here thanks to a lack of competition from reality stars.
Peak position #2
Considering how many classical artists to make it big in NZ that have appeared on this list alone, I would've been dumbstruck if Diana Krall wasn't able to retain her popularity over there with this album even if it was noticeably less successful over there than her other album from earlier in the decade.
Peak position #5
It looked like RHCP were beginning to lose their mainstream popularity over in NZ as this was also less successful over there than it was over here back in the day, however their fortunes were restored later in the decade when Stadium arcadium became one of the biggest albums of the decade over there.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Fortune faded #37
Well, this is certainly a different side of Incubus compared to what we've already seen, apparently, they decided to make their equivalent of the Beatles magical mystery tour as that's the best way I can describe this album as it incorporates elements of psychedelia in a way that's very reminiscent of the fab four. It was a huge hit in NZ and even a minor success here in Australia this year.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
Megalomaniac #30
Talk shows on mute #24
This is the only other appearance from Josh Groban throughout the 00's on this side of my site, even then he barely squeezes in on this list due to it appearing on RIANZ's yearend list for this year despite having a rather unimpressive chart run back in the day.
Peak position #9
This was the victory single for Ben Lummis who was the winner of the first season of NZ Idol, it was a massive success for him despite having such a weak chart run that you'd think it wasn't a success back in the day.
Peak position #1x2
Hit singles
They can't take that away #1
Hip hop was certainly the genre of choice during the midpoint of the decade in NZ, as such we have this breakthrough album from P-Money who gathers some of the biggest names in his local music scene as well as some international artists as well (including Akon of all people) which became a predictable success for the producer thanks to the success of its lead single.
Peak position #2
Hit singles
Stop the music #1
Keep on calling #23
Well Australian Idol managed to have a successful album here in Australia the previous year, so it only makes sense that the NZ equivalent would follow suit this year given how it spawned a much bigger hit with its entourage track.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Yesterday was just the beginning of my life #4
Well I did mention this had a massive shot at being a mainstream success here in Australia when I featured it on that side of my site, it wasn't quite the case in NZ given how it was only a sleeper hit over there, however the lack of competition it had from NZ idol meant that it was able to shine on their charts in a way it failed to do so on ours.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
Dry your eyes #15
This saw equal amounts of success in NZ as it did here in Australia, I guess it's fitting that the popularity of Bono and company had become more homogenised worldwide by this point in time given how they had become a legacy band by this point in their career despite still being able to compete with the hottest new names of the moment.
Peak position #1x3
Hit singles
Vertigo #5
Sometimes you can't make it on your own #12
Well, this was lucky to have a reappearance on this side of my site, indeed this was a decent success for Avril Lavigne with the kiwis even if it didn't reach the same level of success it achieved here in Australia, let alone the dizzying heights of success her debut achieved two years prior. Like Australia, her third album would restore her popularity with the kiwis even if it meant her selling out.
Peak position #7
Hit singles
Don't tell me #15
He wasn't #48
From what I can gather, Steriogram was a NZ punk rock band that also dabbled in hip hop elements that found massive success with their debut album this year. Unfortunately, they turned out to be a one album wonder as their subsequent releases didn't even chart over there, let alone allow them to find an international audience like so many of their peers.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Walkie talkie man #14
Go #28
One of the more popular bands of the decade in NZ was the Black seeds, a reggae group that scored a massive hit with their debut album that had its success stretched out when one of the singles became an unexpected radio hit a year after its initial release. Their success would grow with their subsequent material later in the decade.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
So true #32
Even though this album was one of the most successful of the decade here in Australia, it wasn't the case over in NZ where Jet barely managed to have a sleeper hit with their debut album due to its surprise success in America. Naturally this was due to Steve Jobs using the songs on here for his Apple products, which of course confirmed the album to be little more than a collection of ad jingles.
Peak position #17
Hit singles
Are you gonna be my girl #17
Look what you've done #16
This wasn't as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing this was due to the kiwis only having love for this album upon its initial release as well as it randomly becoming a minor hit again a year after its initial release over there for some reason. At least it managed to spawn a genuine hit for her over there with the lead single as opposed to it failing to do so over here.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
I'm gonna getcha good #4
Up #27
Forever and for always #17
This wasn't as inescapably popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely because it was a hit upon its immediate release over there which likely meant that the kiwis weren't as impressed with Michael Bublé's world tour as we Aussies were once this finally caught on late into its chart run over here.
Peak position #1x2
It was obvious that this would also be a success in NZ like it was here in Australia, true it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success over there that it achieved over here, however these guys were one of the biggest bands of the 90's in the southern hemisphere which this album celebrates.
Peak position #3
Given how immensely popular his debut album was in NZ back in the day, it only makes sense that the success his first two albums had over there would be the complete inverse of what they achieved here in Australia albeit if the less popular of the two albums was still a massive mainstream success.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
The horizon has been defeated #43
Taylor #33
I guess the kiwis had grown tired of MJ when he released this greatest hits package given how much less popular it was over there than it was over here, although at least this did decently well back in the day before it achieved its full success when he passed away later in the decade.
Peak position #10
These guys were on a roll this decade as they managed to achieve massive success with their fourth album following the disappointment of their third album which it turns out was a direct sequel to their second album. Their next album would struggle for popularity, mainly because it would compete with lead singer Tiki Taane's debut album who would leave the group after this album.
Peak position #1x1
Hit singles
Dancehall girl #34
This was far more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia for No doubt, I guess this was proof that the kiwis preferred Gwen's career when she was part of the band rather than her solo outing giving that her two albums would be less popular over there than they were over here.
Peak position #8
Hit singles
It's my life #8
Given how Australian Idol was a huge success in NZ, it only makes sense that the victory album from its winner was a massive hit over there even if it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success that it achieved over here upon its initial release.
Peak position #3
Hit singles
Angels brought me here #1
All I need is you #5
There was a greatest hits package that Neil Diamond released in 1985 with this exact title that was a success over in NZ, that wound up being more successful over there than this was even though this was also a decent success around this time where it was a flop over here in Australia.
Peak position #9
This was an excellent time to have nostalgia for MJ given how this managed to become a moderate success following the release of his own greatest hits package from earlier on this list. Indeed, his Essentials entry from Sony would include some of his work with the Jacksons that also appears on this album when that was released the following year.
Peak position #4
The kiwis had such fond memories of UB40 that this three for one deal managed to become a massive success over there during the midpoint of the decade, if this isn't an endorsement of how popular the band was over there during their heyday then I don't know what is.
Peak position #6
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