This is the best charting song of the decade in NZ, although most of its run comes from the lower half of the charts, hence why it doesn't top this list as the entry above this had a better run in the upper echelons of their charts. This is an original track from the former lead singer of Salmonella Dub and not an umpteenth cover of the Elvis Presley classic despite sharing its name with that track.
*Apologies for the terrible quality of this album art, images of this album cover are scarce on the internet. *
#2 for 2008 (#3 website)
#2 for 2009 (#37 website)
Naturally this was the biggest hit of the year in NZ given how it was the biggest hit of the year worldwide for BEP, it was the song that more or less confirmed the club boom would shake up the music scene during the first half of the 2010's given its refusal to fall off the charts even going into the new decade.
#1 for 2009 (#1 website)
If you're wondering who MT Raskil is, they were a supergroup comprised of session musicians put together to create a song for the NZ film No 2 which was set in Mount Roskill, hence the name of the group. The song is best known for being the launching pad for Hollie Smith who was a singer who would go on to have massive success with her debut album the following year as well as minor success after that.
#1 for 2006 (#3 website)
I did mention that we Aussies were a bit slow in making this debut single from Flo Rida a success given how it didn't even touch our charts until months after it became a worldwide chart topper for the rapper, I guess we Aussies didn't care much for the track until the film it was the theme for was released where it became a critical failure but a commercial success. This wasn't the case in NZ where it was released and a hit on time.
#1 for 2007
#1 for 2008 (#2 website)
I get the feeling there was some sort of competition over in NZ which allowed this track from the Crazy frog to be a massive success over there, after all, it appears that the song was a hit twice hence why it's appearing on more than one of these lists of mine. Suffice to say, the animated frog managed to be even more successful over there than it was even throughout Europe back in the day.
#1 for 2005 (#1 website)
#2 for 2006
In a refreshing turn of events for this site, I now present to you a song that was heavily delayed in NZ despite it being a massive hit in Australia only for it to be infinitely more successful over there once it finally saw the light of day over there. I guess it's no surprise this was more successful over there given how Jack Johnson did have a genuine hit over there from earlier in the decade and that this was meant to be Jason's attempt at taking over from his brand of folk rock.
#5 for 2008
#4 for 2009 (#6 website)
Much like here in Australia, it appears the kiwis wanted to hear Fergie display her vocal talents over her being provocative like her other singles on her first solo album given how this fourth single from the album remains her biggest hit to date in both countries (not counting her work with BEP of course.) It would take her eleven years to release her second album, by which time people had moved on from her music.
#5 for 2007 (#2 website)
Much like in Australia, this was Lady Gaga's biggest hit over in NZ for an entire decade until her comeback with her Oscar winning ballad "Shallow" from 2018. It was this song's success worldwide that finally compelled her fellow Americans to check out her album just as the decade was coming to an end.
#3 for 2008 (#6 website)
#3 for 2009 (#15 website)
With two highly successful songs under their belt, Opshop were able to become one of the biggest names in NZ music thanks to their approach of what I'm guessing was meant to be post Britpop given how I've seen them be compared to the likes of Coldplay and even later day Oasis over the years. Their earlier entry proved to be the bigger hit for the band, however this was where their success officially began.
#11 for 2007 (#11 website)
These guys would have slightly more success over in NZ throughout their career than they did here in Australia, mainly because they would have a hit over there that failed to become as such over here from their second album by the end of the decade. In the meantime, they managed to achieve massive success with their debut single due to the song's producer "presenting" them to the world on his own album.
#2 for 2007 (#9 website)
#4 for 2008
This was the second massive hit that Opshop was able to achieve in their homeland from their sophomore album, it was the driving force as to how their album managed to become one of the biggest of the decade given how it had more of a stranglehold on the upper echelons of their charts than its lead single did.
#6 for 2007
#10 for 2008 (#26 website)
Trying to look up this hip hop band from NZ will likely direct you towards an obscure TV show from the 80's, however you'll eventually come across information about these guys given how they scored a massive hit this year in their homeland with this track. Naturally this was around the time where NZ hip hop was really making the waves over there, so much so that some of their MC's even managed to crossover to Australia.
#1 for 2004 (#4 website)
This not quite being a successful in NZ as it was here in Australia is a bit of a surprise considering how these guys already had mainstream appeal over there by the time this became a hit for them worldwide, I guess the kiwis were a bit ahead of the curve when it came to rock music's lack of popularity in the 2010's given how that's the only reason I can think of as to why this wasn't even bigger over there.
#9 for 2008 (#15 website)
This was written by both Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder; I'm guessing this is how it was able to eventually crossover to America given how British artists don't tend to have much success on Billboard throughout the 21st century. Like many songs on these last few lists of mine, this was released slightly earlier in NZ, or more accurately, it charted sooner due to their charts allowing digital songs without a physical release to do so.
#3 for 2007
#6 for 2008 (#8 website)
It's hard for me to tell if "Boys of summer" was one of the biggest hits of the early 00's in NZ or if it had the assistance of "Heaven" given how on the one hand, the chart run suggested that the latter was added to the release as it rebounded just as it began to lose its popularity over there but on the other hand there's no evidence that "Heaven" ever had any success over there at all. I've included this as a double entry in case the former is true, however feel free to correct me if this isn't the case.
#1 for 2002 (#9 website)
#2 for 2003
I get the feeling that Cee Lo Green was meant to have the career that Bruno Mars wound up having throughout the 2010's, after all, he too was a musician of colour who had love and respect for the golden age of Motown as demonstrated on his one and only hit with his partner in crime DJ Danger Mouse (yes, he named himself after the 80's cartoon.) At least he got two massive worldwide hits for his efforts.
#3 for 2006 (#1 website)
It's no surprise that this debut single from Kesha (as a lead artist that is) was a massive success in NZ around the same time it was as such here in Australia, in fact I'm willing to bet the only reason why it was a hit in her native America was because of how huge it was in both countries given how long it took for it to take off on Billboard for the (then) rising pop star.
#6 for 2009 (#4 website)
This was a charity song about the (then) recent shooting of a boy by the name of Pihema Cameron in a way that was similar to what "Tha crossroads" from Bone thugs n harmony was from thirteen years prior. They recruit Gin Wigmore for the chorus which naturally was the cherry on top of this touching tribute to the young man which of course touched the hearts of many a kiwi upon its initial release.
#5 for 2009 (#2 website)
Anastacia is a one hit wonder in NZ, granted the album this serves as a lead single for proved to be a gigantic hit for her, however her second and third albums completely flew under the radar over there as opposed to them gaining traction here in Australia and throughout Europe for the American singer. Perhaps this was a result of her failing to achieve any success in her native America and the kiwis only being wowed with one single.
#1 for 2000 (#1 website)
It seems odd that it would be the B-side to this debut single from Scribe that would be his big crossover success here in Australia given how that was only barely a success for him when it was given its own release separate from this entry. It was apparent that the kiwis were all about promoting their local hip hop scene this decade which is something we Aussies would do for our local hip hop scene the following decade.
#1 for 2003 (#1 website)
Evidently this was a success in NZ slightly sooner than it was here in Australia, meaning it was the kiwis that somehow came across this theme song to a German cartoon aimed at preschooler's which resulted in its success down under. If you can believe it, the cartoon crocodile scored a second hit worldwide with "Ein Lama in Yokohama" (A llama in Yokahama for my non-German readers.)
#2 for 2005 (#2 website)
This also wasn't quite as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, although it was still much more popular over there than their native America which should give you an idea of how much more well-loved they were internationally than they were in their homeland given that they remain a one hit wonder on Billboard with this track.
#21 for 2008
#17 for 2009 (#47 website)
Although this song was supposedly released on time in NZ, it only began charting the previous year due to them incorporating their digital charts onto their main charts as it wasn't given a physical release over there until this year where it skyrocketed up their charts like it did here in Australia. Even though its placement on here suggests it was equally as successful in both countries, it was far more successful over there.
#30 for 2007 (#18 website)
This is apparently a remix of an earlier track on Basshunter's catalogue known as "Boten Anna," a song sung in Swedish about a girl named Anna that was translated into English for this version a year after its initial release. It became a massive worldwide hit for the Swedish producer, although it didn't even chart here in Australia for reasons I can't seem to fathom.
#17 for 2008 (#14 website)
#14 for 2009 (#35 website)
This is a song that was a massive success here in Australia but was ineligible to chart on ARIA due to not having a physical release here in Australia, fortunately this wasn't an issue in NZ as they had fully incorporated digital sales onto their charts by the time it was released as a single over there. I feel this song's placement on this list is an accurate representation of how popular it was here in Australia given its overplay back in the day.
#19 for 2006
#21 for 2007 (#39 website)
It appears that the popularity of the singles from Beyonce's Sasha Fierce album in NZ was the inverse of what they were in Australia and her native America as this serves as the midpoint of their popularity throughout the world. I guess the kiwis were more interested in her sentimental ballads than her airing out her grievances to what appears to be the male population on the album's two lead singles.
#26 for 2009 (#8 website)
As promised from the Australian side of this site, I'll talk about the song in question as it saw no such hinderance over in NZ like it did down under with its popularity. This was the lead single to Usher's magnum opus Confessions where he makes a club track with the assistance of Lil Jon and Ludacris that was so well received upon its initial release, many consider it to be the song that defines the 00's.
#3 for 2004 (#2 website)
This was the biggest hit to come from Craig David over in NZ, likely because it remains his most popular track in his catalogue to date and that the kiwis never allowed album sales to impact the success of said albums singles. Even though Usher already had moderate success in the southern hemisphere prior to Craig's album, it no doubt led to the American singer finding more success in both countries after the fact.
#2 for 2001 (#1 website)
While this wasn't quite as successful for Lady Gaga in NZ as it was here in Australia, this debut single of hers nonetheless put her on the map over there much sooner than it did in her homeland given how the rest of the world already gave her two massive hits by the time this topped the Billboard charts the following year.
#16 for 2008 (#12 website)
Much like the rest of the world, there were no signs of Lady Gaga's popularity slowing down entering the 2010's as this lead single to her E.P The fame monster was a massive success for her over there like it was worldwide. In fact, from here on out, her popularity was exactly the same in NZ as it was here in Australia.
#8 for 2009 (#29 website)
Given how her older brother was born in NZ, it only makes sense that the kiwis would be equally as receptive towards Natasha Bedingfield's music as they were with Daniel's. Still, I don't think even they expected this to be as inescapably popular over there as it wound up being given that it became one of the biggest hits of the decade for her, naturally this led to her scoring a second hit later in the decade.
#2 for 2004 (#29 website)
#3 for 2005
It appears that the kiwis weren't as impressed with this debut single from James Blunt as we Aussies were as though it was a massive success over there, it didn't reach the dizzying heights that it achieved over there or indeed throughout the rest of the world. Indeed, the other singles from his debut album didn't achieve any success over there, although that didn't prevent the album itself from being a massive success.
#9 for 2005 (#27 website)
#9 for 2006
Given how BEP managed to achieve minor success in NZ from earlier in the decade with their hit single "Request + line," it only makes sense that this lead single to their third album was a massive success for them over in NZ like it was here in Australia. If you can believe it, it isn't among their most popular songs in their native America, likely because their popularity didn't explode over there until later in the decade.
#3 for 2003 (#2 website)
I guess the kiwis did give this guy a chance with his breakthrough single "Bawitdaba" given how that was a minor hit for him back in 1999 over there, however I doubt many of them would've remembered that track when he released this magnum opus of his which combines two songs (both of which were flops over there) to create a nostalgia bomb about how much he loves the summer while living in southern USA.
#11 for 2008 (#13 website)
OK I was able to be nice towards this thing on the Australian side of my site, mainly because its popularity didn't really extend past the music videos over here which meant each of their entries had a fairly short shelf life in our music scene. It appears this thing was a genuine household name in NZ however as this also managed to appear on more than one of these lists due to its refusal to leave their charts.
#4 for 2005 (#4 website)
#4 for 2006
Although this was a massive success in NZ like it was here in Australia, it didn't quite reach number one over there like it did here which suggests that they were a bit hesitant in making this his final hit at the time. Of course, they were eventually won over thanks to how bumping the production is as well as him branching off his hip hop style to be more in line with the crunk scene of the day.
#7 for 2005 (#8 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't as on board with this song as the rest of the world was as though it was a hit for BEP over there, it was considerably less popular there than it was here in Australia given how it didn't even reach the number one spot there. I've heard it be described as little more than fragments of other songs from the quartet that they felt didn't fit into those tracks and instead mashed together here.
#10 for 2009 (#5 website)
I have no idea why Alicia Key's second album bombed in NZ given how much more popular her debut album was over there than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis also got distracted with the bootleg "Karmastition" like we Aussies did around that time (check it out here if you're not familiar with it.) Fortunately, she was able to bounce back in both countries with this lead single to her third album.
#4 for 2007 (#19 website)
#7 for 2008
I'm not sure why this song managed to be even more successful in the southern hemisphere than in Jamelia's native UK, however that was the case as the uplifting dance track proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for the British singer this year. Although her second hit "Thank you" was a minor success over there, it was too minor to make another appearance on this site.
#4 for 2004 (#5 website)
For the longest time, I was confused as to why this second single from Nelly Furtado was far more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, then I realised it was the bigger hit for her in America which no doubt led to this mindset translating to the kiwis upon its initial release. That said, her other big hit from her debut is still to come on this list, so it's not like that was passed up in favour of this song's success over there.
#5 for 2001 (#2 website)
There was little doubt that this collaboration between Sporty Spice and Left Eye Lopez would be more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because the latter came from TLC who was more popular overall over there than they were over here. Apparently, people have declared this to be an LGBT ballad as they interpret the lyrics from both women to be addressed to each other, it's not the worst interpretation of a song I've ever seen.
#3 for 2000 (#2 website)
Given how the album cycle for Loose was identical in NZ to what it was here in Australia, this meant that the third single from the album was her second and final Billboard chart topper over there which was meant to be her way of reassuring her older audience that she hadn't completely abandoned her spiritual roots on the album. Indeed, it was her biggest hit over in NZ as it was a best of both world scenario for her catalogue.
#8 for 2007 (#22 website)
While this was still a massive hit for David Guetta and Akon over in NZ, it appears that maybe the kiwis were a bit put off by the profanity in the title given how it was sung by the latter who had some serious allegations levied against him at the time of its release (trust me, you don't want to look them up.) It would be his final hit over there as nothing he released in the 2010's became a success.
#9 for 2009 (#3 website)
As this second single from Chris Brown's sophomore album Exclusive was able to be released on time over in NZ, it was able to achieve massive success over there given how it didn't have to compete with his duet with Jordin Sparks from around this time which was released soon after this became a hit for him over there. With all of these massive chart toppers from the RNB star, it was safe to assume that he was the leading force of that genre in the music industry.
#8 for 2008 (#5 website)
Even though this wasn't quite as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, it appears the kiwis were still impressed with Taylor cosplaying as a Disney princess on her first international hit to make it a success over there from her second album. Even though she was slightly more popular here than she was over there, said popularity would be equal in both countries and indeed the rest of the world in the 2010's.
#18 for 2009 (#13 website)
Now this is a much more deserving spot for Avril Lavigne's debut single given how I remember it being inescapable here in Australia upon its initial release, goes to show you how much better the NZ charts were back in the day when they can accurately reflect what audiences were consuming at the time. It's little surprise this was a massive worldwide success for her given how earnest it is whilst sounding pleasant to listen to.
#3 for 2002 (#1 website)
While this wasn't as successful for BEP in NZ as it was here in Australia (admittedly three consecutive chart toppers from the group was a bit overkill back in the day) it was nonetheless a massive success for the group thanks to what many believe (me included) to be a stellar performance from Fergie as well as it being the best example of their love ballads in their catalogue.
#21 for 2009 (#28 website)
This is another entry whose placement on this list better reflects how popular it was back in the day here in Australia, suffice to say, it's because of these entries that I wanted to present what was popular in NZ on this site as I always found their charts to be much better than ours for this reason. I guess a side effect of this not being as successful down under was that the response track was a huge hit here which wasn't the case in NZ.
#7 for 2004 (#3 website)
Although the placement on this breakthrough hit from Train suggests that it was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, it turns out that the bulk of this songs chart run over there came from the lower half of their charts, meaning that this was actually more successful over there than it was over here for the band.
#35 for 2001 (#5 website)
It looks like the kiwis were all over anything that Will I am touched during this point in time as this third single from PCD's debut album proved to be their biggest hit over there because of the presence of the rapper, although it's worth noting that this was much bigger than anything from his own album with BEP from around this time. Still, it's impressive as to how this managed to be so big over there this year.
#6 for 2006 (#2 website)
One of the more promising NZ bands of the decade was Atlas, this was due to the success of their debut single which obviously became as such thanks to rock music being arguably at its most popular over there around this time since the mid 70's. Even though this was a huge hit for the band, they called it quits the following year likely due to it being their only hit from their one and only album.
#14 for 2007 (#6 website)
Given how there wasn't a NZ equivalent of MasterChef during the late 00's (at least to my knowledge there wasn't) this meant that this song was only a hit once over there for Katy Perry which goes to show how popular it was given how its placement on this list is nearly identical to its placement on the Australian side of this site.
#19 for 2008 (#25 website)
#15 for 2009
Unlike in Australia where these girls were only a two-hit wonder, they were far more popular over in NZ as this will be one of several entries from them that will be appearing on these lists. Naturally their biggest hit down under was also their biggest hit over there given how this was the first song they released with their most consistent lineup; this was after former member Heidi Range scored a hit with her new group the Sugababes after all.
#4 for 2001 (#3 website)
Like many entries on these lists that appear much higher than they did on the Australian side of this site, this wasn't pulled from shelves over in NZ which means its placement on here can accurately reflect on how popular it truly was back in the day. It makes sense this was Kanye's international breakthrough given how it features guest vocals from Jamie Foxx fresh off his performance as Ray Charles in his biopic.
#6 for 2005 (#20 website)
#7 for 2006
This is another song whose appearance on this list is more accurate to how popular it was here in Australia back in the day, although in this case this is more due to the kiwis fully incorporating their digital charts onto their main charts as opposed to us Aussies who were mainly relying on the physical sales of a song to determine its popularity. This is a song that's become an unofficial anthem for the emo crowd due to how synonymous it is with the genre to this day.
#10 for 2006
#13 for 2007
While this wasn't as big a hit in NZ as it was here in Australia (mainly due to not charting as high over there as it did over here) this was still a huge success for Lifehouse likely due to the rising trend of post grunge which would also result in the success for the likes of Creed and Nickelback. Admittedly these guys have always been far better received over the years than either of those bands.
#21 for 2001 (#4 website)
Given how Chris Brown had confirmed himself as the new Usher on his debut album in NZ, this meant that the lead single to his second album was not only released on time over there but also had its success be immediate as opposed to it climbing its way up the charts here going into the new year. This of course resulted in the success of his second album being largely different over there than it was here.
#9 for 2007 (#17 website)
#13 for 2008
This remains as Beyonce's biggest hit over in NZ, that's interesting because it isn't among her more popular hits in her native America likely due to it being the sixth single from her Sasha Fierce album and it being a rare love ballad in a catalogue filled with breakup anthems and other songs that would appeal to the feminists of the world. She would have minor success with her singles over there throughout the 2010's.
#20 for 2009 (#9 website)
It looked like Gabrielle would never have any success in NZ given how "Dreams" was a massive failure for her over there despite it being a massive worldwide hit seven years prior (including in America) however her fortunes changed when she released this self-empowerment anthem that heavily interpolates "Knocking on heaven's door" from Bob Dylan that connected with the kiwis where it failed to do so with us Aussies.
#9 for 2000 (#3 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't able to take this ballad as seriously as we Aussies were, likely due to the video which sees her playing her piano while green screened onto what I'm guessing is someone's footage of a road trip they took across America. It did last quite a while on their charts like it did over here, however with all the stiff competition it had over here, it was largely on the lower half of their charts.
#17 for 2002 (#2 website)
This was a success in NZ around the time it became a huge chart topper for Soulja Boy in his native America, so much so that I'm willing to be its success over there was why it crossed over here in Australia for the rapper as we Aussies no doubt wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this track that would eventually become a meme on the internet.
#12 for 2007 (#46 website)
#20 for 2008 (#49 website)
Given how Hear'say managed to score a massive hit over in NZ the previous year, it only seems fitting that the band they beat in the first season of UK Popstars would have even more success this year over there than they did here in Australia given how the kiwis seemed to be fans of the first season at the time. Of course, this love didn't extent to its second season as none of the future contestants found success over there.
#9 for 2002 (#3 website)
Given how she saw massive success with her earlier collaboration with Smashproof on this list, it only makes sense that Gin Wigmore would find massive success on her own with her debut single as a lead artist which naturally her fellow kiwis gravitated towards just as the decade was coming to an end. This set her up as one of the hottest new names of the 2010's despite her popularity fizzling out by 2012.
#19 for 2009 (#30 website)
This is another entry whose appearance feels more in line with how popular it was over here in Australia, in this case it's the debut single of Uncle Kracker as a lead artist given how he was only known as Kid Rock's turntablist prior to the release of this adult contemporary ballad. Unlike in Australia where he scored a second hit in 2010, he remains a one hit wonder over in NZ.
#10 for 2001 (#6 website)
Much like the other singles from Good girl gone bad, this fourth single from the album was a success much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia even if it failed to reach number one over there like it did over here likely due to the controversy behind its sample usage. Something I didn't mention on the Australian side of this site was that this was the first song to reach number one here purely through digital sales.
#10 for 2007
#18 for 2008 (#22 website)
This was even more of a success for Jay Sean over in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis really wanted a new prince of RNB and were willing to give this guy a shot given how he managed to recruit Lil Wayne on the track which they recognised for his hit single "Lollipop" from the previous year. It was also released much sooner over there likely for the same reason as its success.
#13 for 2009 (#12 website)
Given how NZ hip hop was quickly becoming one of the biggest genres in music over there this decade, it only makes sense that a hip-hop group would find success the same way as the likes of Scribe and Savage would. This was the first of three big hits from said hip hop group Fast Crew which was so popular over there that it even saw minor success over here in Australia the following year.
#14 for 2004 (#17 website)
I guess the kiwis were also massive fans of the film Duets back in the day given how this cover of the Smokey Robinson classic managed to be a massive hit over there like it was over here, although it could also be that they had enough fond memories of the original as well as Huey Lewis's career in the 80's that they felt this was a nice nostalgia bomb for them at the time.
#2 for 2000
#3 for 2001 (#12 website)
This is another song that saw a massive improvement on these rankings of mine thanks to its release not being tampered with over in NZ like it was here in Australia, although it's worth noting that this wasn't that popular in Christina's native America given how her second album over there saw criticism of her abandoning her teen pop roots of her debut album in favour of a more personal image her fellow American found to be crass.
#13 for 2003 (#3 website)
Given how he managed to crossover to Australia with "Moonshine" (which we'll look at in a bit) it only makes sense that Savage would achieve multiple other hits in his homeland which began with his debut single that didn't do quite as well here in Australia as his other big hit. It turns out there's a version of this track with Soulja Boy that he released later in the decade to try and break into the American market.
#13 for 2005 (#9 website)
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Gwen Stefani, I guess this was due to the presence of Akon throughout the track given how he was on a roll this year over there with his second album. Then again, the other two tracks from the album this is named after were bigger hits over there this year than they were down under, so perhaps the kiwis had finally come around on Gwen's solo career.
#22 for 2007 (#8 website)
There was no surprise that this would be a success for Rihanna in NZ upon its initial release given how immensely popular it was everywhere else in the world for her, it was the lead single to her third album after all and had lyrics that are obviously about friendship but can also be interpreted to be about sex as well. I keep forgetting that Jay-Z has a verse on this track, that's odd because said verse opens up the track.
#16 for 2007 (#1 website)
From what I can gather, this was among the earliest British hip hop tracks to make it big in the UK as well as throughout the world, it comes to us courtesy of the British duo Mattafix who managed to translate their success over to NZ this year and even have minor success with this track here in Australia months after its peak over there due to how big it was worldwide.
#14 for 2005 (#16 website)
#11 for 2006
P Money had a massive hit earlier in the decade with NZ rapper Scribe, so much so that single managed to crossover to Australia where it was also a massive hit for the pair here. It's little surprise then that he would score another hit later in the decade with this track with fellow rapper Vince Harder, although it wasn't a hit here in Australia despite it arguably being bigger than "Stop the music."
#22 for 2008 (#11 website)
Timbaland was on a roll this year in NZ even though this collaboration with (then) newcomer Keri Hilson failed to reach number one over there like it did over here, this is because this was the second single in a row that became a massive hit for the rapper/producer following his posse cut with Nelly Furtado and JT which is still to come on this list.
#15 for 2007 (#3 website)
As far as the kiwis are concerned, this was the first hit that Leann Rimes had in her career as her country material fell on deaf ears over there throughout the 90's despite how big it was here in Australia. Indeed, she would have far better luck over there during her pop phase as "Life goes on" would prove to be an even bigger hit for her on her next album as well as this being equally as big there as it was here.
#8 for 2001 (#7 website)
This is another entry whose placement on this list is a better representation of its popularity back in the day, this time it's the second single from Britney's fourth album In the zone which proved to be the only hit she had over in NZ from the album due to both "Me against the music" and "Everytime" failing to connect with the kiwis. This was apparently written with Kylie Minogue in mind but was given to Britney instead.
#15 for 2004 (#11 website)
There's little surprise this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for 50 cent given how much buzz Eminem provided for him throughout the year, indeed his mentor even appears in the video as does Dr Dre who produced the song for the east coast rapper, which I guess means that this signaled the official end of the east coast/west coast rivalry.
#4 for 2003 (#4 website)
While this didn't last as long on the charts for Akon in NZ as it did here in Australia, the success of this collaboration with Eminem can't be denied given how it gave fans hope of him returning to form as his verse on here is considered better than any of the verses he gave on Encore. Of course, the real star of the show is Akon who was on a roll with this track given its worldwide popularity.
#8 for 2006
#7 for 2007 (#31 website)
I get the feeling the kiwis didn't realise that Delta Goodrem was on Neighbours at first given how this was set to be a modest success for her before it skyrocketed to number one fairly late into its chart run, perhaps they were initially interested in this track due to how well it did here in Australia and then realised its true appeal once she appeared on their TV's this year as Nina Tucker.
#10 for 2003 (#5 website)
While he had plenty of success with his albums here in Australia, Jack Johnson was never able to score a hit single on our charts like he did over in NZ with this track from his debut album. This was the song that helped said album take off over there which naturally led to us Aussies checking it out to see what all the fuss was about which led to his second album being one of the biggest of the decade here.
#30 for 2003 (#6 website)
This managed to be a hit in NZ just as the 00's was coming to a close, as such it manages to appear on more than one list on this site even if it wasn't as popular over there as it was here in Australia for Owl City. I guess his collaboration with Carly Rae Jepsen was more popular over there several years after this came out, this would balance out his career so that it was equally as successful in both countries.
#16 for 2009 (#26 website)
This was one of two hits that NZ rapper Dei Hamo managed to achieve in his brief time in the music industry, the other being "To tha floor" which was a huge hit for him the following year (which we'll look at in the next list.) This was so popular in his homeland that it even managed to see minor success here in Australia which was impressive given how it had to compete with all of the Australian Idol shenanigans.
#8 for 2004 (#6 website)
There were no signs of Chris Brown's popularity slowing down this year worldwide as the RNB star managed to score another chart topper in NZ with this bonus track from the deluxe edition of his second album Exclusive. Naturally he was all set to take the prince of RNB crown from Usher given how he only managed to achieve one major hit this year worldwide, but alas that wasn't to be.
#15 for 2008 (#4 website)
Given how immensely popular the Sugababes were throughout the decade in NZ and their native UK, it only makes sense that this would remain their biggest hit in both countries as the girls seemed to take a page out of Kelis's book by making a song about sex that most people still believe it isn't about to this day. It was so popular that it even crossed over to Australia where it finally gave the girls a genuine hit here.
#5 for 2005 (#31 website)
#5 for 2006
It appears Jordin Spark's victory single "Tattoo" was delayed in NZ in order to allow her duet with Chris Brown to be a massive success for the pair, as such, this proved to be even more successful over there which came at the expense of her debut single underperforming for her. Of course, she managed to have all three of her songs that appeared on the Australian side of my site become hits over there and even scored a fourth hit which we'll look at in a bit.
#14 for 2008 (#1 website)
There'll be plenty more British representation on this side of my site throughout the decade given how the kiwis were more into the UK music scene than us Aussies were, as such we have this second solo single from Ronan Keating performing much better over there which led to him having more success with his solo album (at least with its singles) than he did here.
#7 for 2000 (#4 website)
It's hard to say if this was a hit in Australia on our digital charts given how it was released prior to when we began tracking what was popular in that format, what I do know is that this was a massive hit for Corinna Bailey Rae in NZ and her native UK thanks to how joyous and happy this RNB ballad remains to this day. It was unfortunately her only hit as her debut album failed to catch on despite this song's success.
#18 for 2006
This was released on time for Snoop Dogg over in NZ, as such it had very little issues in becoming one of the biggest hits of the decade over there as opposed to it merely being a moderate success here in Australia for the rapper. This is the second collaboration that he had with Pharrell following their earlier hit "Beautiful," I guess they wanted to keep the momentum going with both of their careers as a rapper and singer respectively.
#10 for 2004
#8 for 2005 (#22 website)
Well at least this song managed to be a huge success over in NZ for P!nk even if said success pales in comparison to what it achieved here in Australia and even in her native America given how this was her first song as a lead artist to top the Billboard charts despite how successful she'd been over there throughout the decade. Indeed, she would only have one more Billboard chart topper with "Just give me a reason" in 2013.
#27 for 2008 (#19 website)
It appears the kiwis preferred this to be the unofficial anthem for 9/11 over "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias, possibly because the Latin superstar already had massive success prior to the terrorist attacks and thus, they felt he was inappropriate to play over the tragic news that unfolded during that event. I'm also guessing this song's success over there was what led to it becoming a hit here in Australia months after it broke through.
#9 for 2001
#11 for 2002 (#32 website)
I guess the kiwis wanted to atone for them not making the Dead or alive track this song is named after more of a hit back in the 80's given how this managed to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, either that or they were impressed with Kesha's performance on the chorus which makes them a minority given how Kesha herself felt embarrassed to be a part of this project.
#11 for 2009 (#7 website)
It's no surprise that Eminem saw equal amounts of success over in NZ as he did here in Australia with this lead single to his magnum opus the Eminem show, after all, it remains funny to this day without resorting to any of his shock value that many have criticised him for as being inappropriate to his predominantly younger audience. Indeed, his success was largely the same from here on out in both countries in the southern hemisphere.
#4 for 2002 (#4 website)
Well, this is a first, mainly because theme songs from the FIFA world cup hadn't had any success over in NZ like they had here in Australia which obviously changed when this became a hit over there this year when it was chosen as the theme for this year's world cup. Admittedly it's possible that this songs success was due to it being a huge hit in the UK the previous year, however I very much doubt that.
#21 for 2006 (#12 website)
Even though this was released much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, it wound up only becoming popular over there thanks to it instantly rising to the top of the charts here which means the kiwis needed a bit of incentive in making this second consecutive Billboard chart topper from Nelly a hit over there that we Aussies gave them. At least it otherwise had equal amounts of success in both countries.
#12 for 2002 (#27 website)
#15 for 2003
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, naturally it meant that it would be slightly more successful for Green day over there than it was over here also likely because "My happy ending" was a flop over there which meant there weren't any comparisons between the two songs. This led to the band having massive success with their album as well as their follow up later in the decade.
#30 for 2004
#30 for 2005
I guess the kiwis were more on board with Usher trying to kick start the club boom earlier than when it officially began than us Aussies given how this was a massive hit for the prince of RNB this year over there compared to what it achieved here. You can consider this a better version of "OMG" as Young Jeezy delivers a guest verse about how awesome it is to be at the club with Usher like Will I am did on that track.
#12 for 2008 (#7 website)
If you're confused as to why this song is so much higher on this list than the Australian equivalent, that's likely because Daniel Bedingfield was actually born in NZ and the kiwis likely didn't realise that until the success of "Gotta get thru this" from the previous year. That would explain why this ballad was so much more popular over there as well as his sister finding more success later in the decade than she did here.
#16 for 2003 (#7 website)
There's little surprise this wouldn't be as big in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Veronicas, although considering how this became an international hit for the duo, I would've been surprised if it didn't at least achieve some success over there given how popular their debut album was from earlier in the decade. Sadly, this would be their final hit over there due to the kiwis not caring about their 2014 comeback.
#39 for 2008 (#34 website)
While this wasn't as inescapably popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, the fact that this EDM track managed to be such a massive success over there should tell you how receptive to the genre that the kiwis were becoming entering the new millennium. Naturally this led to Sophie Ellis Bextor finding success over there with her own album later in the decade which was the case everywhere else in the world.
#6 for 2000 (#20 website)
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