Well I guess I should look at what was big throughout the 70's in NZ considering how I did the same for Australia on this site, this list will be even shorter given how the RIANZ charts only began in mid 1975, meaning I won't have carry over hits from 1974 like I did on the Australian equivlent due to those songs only charting on the Listener charts which conveniently ceased once RIANZ was launched.
For the most part Donna Summer had more success in Australia than she did in NZ, this was the rare exception to that rule as this Oscar winning theme from Thank God it's Friday wasn't a hit at all here and yet was one of her biggest hits over in NZ this year. I guess she did manage to score two new entries on this side of my site even if all of her returning entries are much lower on their respective lists.
#59 for 1978 (#24 website)
This wasn't nearly as successful for Harpo in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Swedish pop star, I guess the kiwis only had enough love for one Swedish act and Abba was already filling in that void for them this year. Still, they managed to squeeze this guy in for just enough time for him to make a second appearance on this site.
#51 for 1976 (#39 website)
I think this is the first love song to use chart positions as a metaphor for finding the love of the narrator's life, it's certainly the only song I can think of that became a massive success by using this metaphor at any point in time (although I'm sure this will be a common phenomenon going forward in music.) As for the artist who made it, from what I can gather, Pete Wingfield was a British producer to got lucky with this ballad.
#52 for 1976
It appears the kiwis weren't as invested with this showstopping ballad from Grease as we Aussies were, perhaps they wanted to hear the bangers on the soundtrack and only made this a success due to the passionate performance that Livie gives on the song. Admittedly it does feel in line with her earlier material from both the sound and especially the lyrical content.
#60 for 1978 (#33 website)
OK so I may have a theory for why Donna's earlier entry on this list wasn't as big as it was here in Australia, it turns out her label issued the title track of her final disco album as a single so soon after "Hot stuff" that her previous entry hadn't even reached number one on Billboard when it entered the charts. Naturally we Aussies ignored the title track (hence why it didn't appear on the Australian side of this list) whereas the kiwis made both of them a hit at the same time.
#52 for 1979 (#35 website)
This was an even bigger hit in NZ for Elton John this year, there's two possible theories I have for why this is. The first is that the kiwis preferred this borderline instrumental track to his lead single from his first album without Bernie Taupin (at least on full songwriting duties as this was donated to Elton by him) the second is that the kiwis were touched by his performance of this track on Countdown which was introduced by Dame Edna more than us Aussies were.
#53 for 1979 (#44 website)
Well at least these guys were able to go out on a bigger bang in NZ given how this was at least twice as successful over there as it was over here for Sweet, I think this was because it was among their bigger hits on Billboard which was something considering it was released on time in America. There'll only be one more entry from the band as we go further back in the decade on this side of my site.
#61 for 1978 (#29 website)
Well Kate Bush was inexplicably popular here and in her native UK, so it only seems fitting that Lene Lovich would also find success in NZ albeit to a much smaller scale as the kiwis likely realised even at the time that she was little more than a copycat of the much younger artist. It could also be that their love for Kate was fleeting as she didn't find as much success in the 80's over there.
#54 for 1979 (#38 website)
Around this time, the Muppets show premiered on TV which was such an instant success that the theme song (which was originally written for another project Jim Hensen was a part of) became a huge success albeit only in NZ for some reason. I guess this did chart here in Australia which likely led to Kermit the frog's solo hit from the end of the decade from the Muppet movie here.
#57 for 1977 (#31 website)
This guy is perhaps best known for his big worldwide smash "The most beautiful girl" from earlier in the decade, from what I can gather it wasn't a hit over in NZ during the days of the Listener charts, meaning this duet with unknown singer Janie Fricke was the only success he had over there. At least it was a massive success as despite its lower placement on this list, it lingered for quite some time on the NZ charts.
#55 for 1979 (#34 website)
This is the only hit that Spanish born German singer Luisa Fernandez achieved anywhere in the world, I'm guessing she made it big in NZ due to the high number of European artists making it big throughout the 70's and her being part of the shuffle over there and not over here.
#62 for 1978
This appears higher on the NZ side of my site mainly because it charted higher over there than it did over here, otherwise this instrumental track from the Canadian pianist Frank Mills was equally successful in both countries back in the day.
#56 for 1979 (#29 website)
This was another repeat entry on this list to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, again it's because it came from a highly successful album which as you'll quickly discover as we go further back in the 70's, wasn't a factor for a song's popularity over there as far as the kiwis were concerned.
#57 for 1979 (#37 website)
Stargard were another rival to the Emotions back in the day who managed to score a massive hit in NZ during the second half of the decade, I'm guessing the success of all of these disco girl groups of colour back in the day were meant to be a way of them becoming the (then) new equivalent of the Supremes which is odd because Diana Ross didn't have any success over there around this time. At least we Aussies had Marcia Hines as the big successful woman of colour in our music scene.
#63 for 1978 (#27 website)
As this was a song that was discovered by the presenters of Countdown, it was naturally a hit here in Australia much sooner than it was in NZ where it had to wait until it became one of the biggest hits of the decade down under before it could find success over there. It turns out this was a minor hit in the UK for the Belgian singer, although I guess we Aussies and kiwis needed a better incentive to make it a hit than that.
#58 for 1979
Unlike here in Australia where Eric Carmen got himself out of the one hit wonder bin twelve years later with two additional hits to his name, in NZ he still remains in the one hit wonder bin to this day with this track I'm sure people nowadays think is a Celine Dion track given how much more ubiquitous her cover has become over the years.
#53 for 1976
It looks like the kiwis were a bit resistant towards this ballad at first given how it took its sweet time in finding an audience in NZ back in the day, alas it appears they were eventually won over by this one and only hit from Morris Albert in the early months of the year as it was nominated for a Grammy around the time it rose up their charts.
#54 for 1976
The hits kept on coming for the Carpenters in NZ during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling that these two would've been equally as successful here in Australia if Countdown hadn't of deemed them to be uncool to help promote our local music scene.
#55 for 1976 (#46 website)
Here we are once again with the biggest hit that Graham Bonnet managed to score here in Australia, although it was considerably less successful over in NZ likely due to the kiwis not jiving as well with the prospect of him working with the brothers Gibb as we Aussies did this year. Still, it was enough of a success to convince him to return to his native UK where he found success in his homeland in the 80's.
#64 for 1978 (#32 website)
Those of you who felt the absence of the Eagles from the Australian side of my site will be pleased to know that the band managed to achieve far more success in NZ with their singles than they did down under back in the day. This was their final hit over there which served as the lead single to their final album before they went their separate ways due to that infamous concert they gave the following year.
#59 for 1979
This is the only song from Dr Hook from this decade that was a hit here in Australia to reappear on this side of my site, even then it was more of a sleeper hit in NZ which suggested that the kiwis were very sceptical of these guys reinventing themselves as a soft rock band from their comedic roots from earlier in the decade.
#56 for 1976 (#32 website)
Well, this song's absence on the Australian side of my site was certainly felt by yours truly, so let's rectify that by having by far the signature track from one of the more popular disco girl groups from the 70's. As the girls were indeed a family, this feels more like an anthem for the band rather than a cheap disco track preaching about the importance of family, which is perhaps why it's endured over the years.
#60 for 1979 (#41 website)
I'm guessing the film Car wash was a massive success over in NZ given how the soundtrack managed to give Rose Royce a second hit over there this year with this number. This sees the band's male vocalists take centre stage as opposed to their other two big hits which had their female vocalists in the lead, making them a hybrid of Earth wind and fire and the Emotions with these releases.
#58 for 1977 (#44 website)
This proved to be equally as successful for Livie in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, I guess her performance as Sandy from Grease really revive her career which had been on the decline since the midpoint of the decade. Naturally this was her first pop song she had that lacked any country elements or wasn't from a soundtrack, although it has sadly fallen by the wayside when discussing her discography.
#61 for 1979
With all of the shout outs that these guys have gotten over the years, you'd think that the O'jays would've had more success back in the day than this one and only hit they had in NZ. Granted they did have a string of other hits in their native American throughout the decade, however this was the only hit that managed to crossover there which is still one more hit they ever had here in Australia.
#65 for 1978 (#30 website)
This was another big hit that ELO had in NZ that wasn't as big as it was here in Australia, although at least they managed to have a disco hit over there given how their collaboration with Olivia Newton John on the Xanadu soundtrack failed to impress the kiwis the following year. Only "Telephone line" managed to be a bigger hit over there back in the day for the band, mainly because album sales ate up its success here.
#62 for 1979 (#50 website)
It was inevitable that this soft rock ballad would be a success over in NZ given how it was also a success here in Australia, although as we go further back in the decade, you'll notice that the country band had far less success over there than they did over here throughout the 70's.
#66 for 1978
For whatever reason, this song always reminds me of "Band on the run" whenever I hear it on the radio (likely due to Paul's similar vocal melody in different parts of both songs) which is perhaps why it was a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia as we Aussies would've passed this up back in the day in favour of the many fresh offerings from our local music scene which the kiwis didn't have access to.
#57 for 1976 (#35 website)
This was also a hit for Elvis Presley in NZ just before he died, although it wasn't quite as big a hit over there as it was here likely because his earlier entry on this list was the big hit from his final album over there even before he passed away.
#59 for 1977 (#39 website)
From what I can gather, this is a novelty track from novelty country singer Fred Dagg which managed to become a success in his homeland due to how silly country music had become from Nashville. Admittedly none of the sillier tracks managed to crossover outside of America save for perhaps "Convoy" from earlier on this list.
#58 for 1976 (#36 website)
From what I can gather, this was the earliest success that Leo Sayer had in NZ given how none of his songs prior to the release of the first RIANZ charts were successful on the Listener charts, I guess it makes sense that one of his more upbeat tracks would be the kiwis introduction to him as opposed to his single "The show must go on" which was the case here in Australia and his native UK.
#33 for 1975
#59 for 1976
It looks like this was the least successful hit to come from the Saturday night fever soundtrack, although I guess this was more due to it being sung by someone who wasn't a member of the Bee gees as Yvonne Elliman did have success in NZ earlier in the decade with "Love me." Like most parts of the world, she remains a two-hit wonder with these two songs over there.
#67 for 1978
This was the second hit that the Brothers Gibb were able to score from their comeback album Main course following the success of its lead single "Jive talking" from the previous year, it was on more familiar territory when it came to their original sound as to not alienate their older fans too much when transitioning into the disco we all know and love these days.
#60 for 1976
This was the only other hit that Dragon managed to achieve in their homeland, indeed this was released much later over there than it was over here mainly because they had temporarily migrated to Australia due to the failure of their earlier material in their homeland throughout the decade. They join the ranks of Split enz and Mi-sex as NZ bands who needed to leave their homeland in order to find success in their careers.
#68 for 1978
Well at least Blondie were able to achieve success with their fourth album Eat to the beat in NZ given how that album didn't see much success here in Australia back in the day, it came instantly as well as the lead single was a massive hit over there as opposed to here where it didn't even break into our top fifty.
#63 for 1979
It's hard to definitively say, however it's possible that this lead single from A new world record should be even higher on this list given that this also peaked during the summer period of 1976/1977 here in Australia. As is, it was only a moderate success over in NZ as opposed to their earlier entry on this list.
#60 for 1977
This was a song that would've been higher on this list had the RIANZ charts launched sooner in the year given how well it did on the Listener charts and that it retained its popularity on the newer charts once it launched. It was Helen Reddy's final hit anywhere in the world given how it was a surprise hit for her over there following the success of "Angie baby" in Australia and America.
#34 for 1975 (#18 website)
Well, here's the other big hit that Yvonne Elliman had in NZ, she also had a hit over here in Australia with this disco classic, but it was too much of a sleeper hit to appear on that side of my site unfortunately. I feel like this song's placement is too low on this list, mainly because it peaked here in Australia during our summer period which the RIANZ charts were on hiatus during that time.
#61 for 1977
I guess the kiwis weren't as invested in this former Fleetwood Mac frontman's solo material given how this song was far less successful over there than it was over here, heck his album didn't even chart over there despite it being a huge success down under for him. I would say it was due to an appearance on Countdown which led to this being so successful, he did perform it on the show albeit the following year.
#69 for 1978 (#49 website)
I guess the kiwis needed a bit of convincing to allow these guys to be inescapable like they were here in Australia back in the day, however they were eventually won over with the band's breakthrough single as it refused to drop out of their charts suggesting this was a success as a guilty pleasure for them.
#70 for 1978 (#40 website)
This was originally meant to be John Lennon's final hit single as he would announce his retirement after he released it from his album Rock n roll, it's a cover of the Ben E King classic which I'm guessing was meant to be reassurance to his audience that he was simply stepping out of the spotlight rather than becoming blacklisted from fame.
#35 for 1975 (#29 website)
Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder in most parts of the world including in their native America, they were able to score a second hit over in NZ with this ballad proving that they were able to find an audience with their music even if that audience was largely with the kiwis back in the day.
#64 for 1979
This is another song from Abba that was released exclusively here in Australia and NZ given how inescapably popular the quartet was in both countries, this time it's a song that was originally a B-side to "So long" which it turns out was the true lead single to their third album and not "I do I do I do I do I do" like I and many others had thought.
#62 for 1977
If you're wondering just who Peter Tosh is, he was a member of the Wailers which was Bob Marley's backing band who of course saw a massive mainstream breakthrough the previous year with "Is this love." Here he recruits Mick Jagger of all people to duet with him on a cover of a Temptations track that comes complete with a bizarre music video showcasing Mick's strange dance moves.
#65 for 1979
It's a bit of a shock to me to see how unpopular this classic was back in the day from the brothers Gibb considering how much of a staple it's become on oldies stations nowadays; it certainly didn't do their album any favours given how that didn't become a success until the following year for the trio. At least it achieved moderate success over in NZ as opposed to here where it was a massive flop for them.
#61 for 1976 (#40 website)
Given how their earlier entry on this list was a massive success on time in NZ, it only makes sense that the kiwis would also allow the second single from their comeback album Destiny to also be a success for them this year which sadly wasn't the case here in Australia when this finally saw the light of day the following year. That's a shame because it's since become a disco classic even on our oldie's stations.
#66 for 1979 (#40 website)
This was the first big hit that 10CC achieved in NZ given how "Rubber bullets" flopped on the Listener charts two years prior, this means that the band only achieved three hits over there with only two of them also being hits here in Australia. Even so, I can see how this managed to be a success over there for the band given how well it fitted in with the trends of the day.
#36 for 1975 (#30 website)
Well either the kiwis really didn't like Barbra Streisand throughout the 70's or they weren't willing to have Donna Summer be a feminist icon so quickly after she released her final disco album which depicted her as a sex worker in the marketing. I'm guessing it was the latter as Barbra did find success over there with her duet with Neil Diamond and she would have more success going into the 80's.
#67 for 1979
This was one of only two hits that Phoebe Snow had in NZ throughout her career, although at least it's one more hit she had over there than she did in her native America even though "Poetry man" failed to become a hit over there like it did on Billboard earlier in the decade. I guess the trade-off for her singles flopping here in Australia was that her third album was a genuine success by the end of the decade.
#63 for 1977 (#49 website)
From what I can gather, Suzanne Lynch was a NZ singer who was based in the UK at the time of recording her cover of the Smokey Robinson classic which explains why this had international buzz despite it being far from the biggest hit on this list and it coming from a local artist.
#71 for 1978
I guess the kiwis weren't as titillated with this breakthrough single from Donna Summer as we Aussies were given how much lower it appears on this side of my site compared to the Australian side, at least it was a decent success for the queen of disco even if it was a sign that she wouldn't reach the dizzying heights of success over there she achieved over here.
#62 for 1976
This is one of those songs that became big back in the day that doesn't seem to have much of a legacy anymore, I guess this was a hit due to it sounding like a Fleetwood Mac track which is odd because Fleetwood Mac weren't able to score a hit of their own in NZ with one of their songs, but this guy did.
#72 for 1978 (#46 website)
This was the first hit that Roxy music had following their reformation the previous year, it's interesting to note that this was a massive hit over in NZ and not here in Australia given how lead singer Bryan Ferry was one of the biggest artists of the decade over here and was virtually a nobody over there with his solo material. Admittedly this was the only hit of theirs that was more popular in NZ than it was down under.
#68 for 1979 (#49 website)
I think this is the only native American band that ever saw success throughout the world over the years, sure we've had native American artists such as Cher find success, however I can't think of another band apart from these guys to reach international fame. With that said, we have the one and only appearance from Redbone on this site who is best known for their single "Witch queen of New Orleans."
#37 for 1975 (#31 website)
This was slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, likely because soft rock in general had more of a presence on the NZ charts back in the 70's than it did here in Australia due to how strong our local music scene was. It could also be that it shared its name with the Equals track from ten years prior even though neither song sound like each other.
#73 for 1978
This will be the only appearance from Donny and Marie Osmond on this site of mine, although I could've featured several of their own hits had I gone further back in the decade given how popular they were (well he was at least) during the first half of the 70's. This is their take on a ballad from the 30's that they updated for a (then) modern audience which would explain its success in NZ and not in Australia.
#63 for 1976
This was Smokie's only hit single in NZ given how the kiwis clearly weren't impressed with the band's output, heck this likely was only a success due to how inescapably popular it was over here given how it was one of the biggest hits of the decade down under thanks to them appearing on Countdown to perform this on the show.
#64 for 1977
This was also a big hit in NZ this year for the Eagles, although it was also a minor hit here in Australia which perhaps suggests that if their earlier entry on this list was the lead single to their album Hotel California, then perhaps it would've been a massive hit for them over here back in the day.
#65 for 1977
This was only slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia for Meat loaf, I'm guessing it was due to the success it had over in America given how this trapped him in the one hit wonder bin in his homeland for fifteen years on Billboard. Indeed, he was a two-hit wonder everywhere else in the world with his two entries on this list due to the failure of his work from the 80's.
#74 for 1978 (#38 website)
From what I can gather, Ray Stevens didn't have as much success in NZ as he did in Australia as this saw considerably less success over there than it did over here this year. That said, his two big comedy tracks "Gitarzan" and "The streak" were very big on the Listener charts, so perhaps the kiwis were simply more interested in his brand of comedy rather than his more serious ballads.
#38 for 1975 (#28 website)
This was also a hit in NZ much like the other repeat entries on this list, I can't say if the original from Nina Simone or the Animals cover from the mid 60's were hits over there as there aren't any charts that exist to confirm of deny this, however it's clear that this version was a winner during the height of the disco era in both countries regardless.
#75 for 1978
This was a big hit in NZ for the Dutch group Luv this year, I'd say they were trying to be the next generation of Pussycat given how inescapable those women were except as far as I can tell, they didn't have a backing band of male musicians like their predecessors did. In this case, they're probably the Dutch equivalent of Silver convention who also saw massive success worldwide earlier in the decade.
#69 for 1979 (#42 website)
We already looked at the remix of this song from the early 90's on this side of my site, it's time to revisit the original version of this track from JPY one last time as it was indeed a huge hit in NZ back in the day likely due to its huge international appeal which led it to becoming a huge hit worldwide. You'd think he'd score at least one other charting single over there but alas he didn't.
#76 for 1978 (#35 website)
It seems odd that this would be more of a hit over in NZ than it was here in Australia given how much of a failure Gary Numan's solo career was over there, I guess the kiwis were only interested in his music when it came to his work with his project Tubeway army even if this was once again the only hit he managed to achieve over there with the group.
#70 for 1979
This was the first of three big hits that the Emotions were able to achieve in NZ, although we've already looked at their other two hits assuming you're following these lists in the order I've posted them. This was their biggest hit over on Billboard likely due to it being the perfect disco jam for the dance floors in their native America, this makes you wonder why it underperformed in Australia around this time.
#66 for 1977 (#43 website)
This was the only hit that Ricki Lee Jones was able to achieve throughout her career anywhere in the world, although she was always more of an album artist as evidence by her appearances on my albums lists throughout my site. Still, it appears the kiwis were intrigued by her debut single as it was a genuine hit for her over there while it was a minor success at best over here.
#71 for 1979 (#39 website)
This was the second of two hits that Phoebe Snow was able to achieve in NZ back in the day, this being a cover of a Paul McCartney track from the start of the decade which no doubt connected with the kiwis in a way that many covers of a Beatles member did back in the day. We Aussies passed this up in favour of the album it came from, although I don't hear this much on oldies stations so perhaps it was never that popular here.
#72 for 1979 (#45 website)
I don't know what's worse about this track, the fact that it was Gloria Gaynor's only hit in NZ or the fact that it was so much less successful over there than it was here in Australia despite being a quintessential disco classic that's survived the test of time. I would say the semi failure of this track was due to the kiwis preferring Donna Summer over her, except Donna didn't exactly take their charts by storm either.
#73 for 1979
We have another reappearance of Hot chocolate on this side of my site, this time it's this RNB classic which the kiwis appeared to love just as much as we Aussies did back in the day even though it had far fewer competition over there than it did over here. Indeed, this was the only track from the band to have equal amounts of success in both countries despite it being among their less catchy numbers.
#67 for 1977 (#33 website)
They may have had more success in Australia overall than they did in NZ, however at least the kiwis were instantly able to recognise the brilliance of the Police upon their initial breakthrough given how this lead single to their debut album was a hit over there were it wasn't over here. This is often considered their best song due to how timeless it is compared to everything else coming out at the time.
#74 for 1979 (#43 website)
Oh boy was this a pain to do research on, here we have a country cover of a ballad from the 50's that was only a hit in NZ this year likely due to country still reigning supreme over there as opposed to everywhere else in the world which had moved on to the likes of glam and early disco.
#39 for 1975 (#32 website)
Unlike here in Australia where the hits dried up for the Carpenters once Countdown launched this year, they kept on coming for them over in NZ likely due to the lack of competition the duo had over there with up-and-coming artists from the southern hemisphere. For what it's worth, they dominated both our charts during the first half of the decade with their ballads.
#40 for 1975 (#33 website)
Yannis Markopoulous was a Greek composer who scored a massive worldwide hit this year with this instrumental track that seems to have been composed for a TV series from the UK that time has seemed to have thoroughly erased over the years.
#75 for 1979
This was another hit that Neil Diamond was able to achieve in NZ during the second half of the decade, again this was only a flop here in Australia due to it being pushed aside in favour of the album becoming a success as well as us Aussies wanting to support our local music scene thanks to Countdown promoting what it had to offer.
#64 for 1976
It looks like the kiwis weren't as impressed with this opening number to Grease as we Aussies were, I guess they found that the backing vocals from the high schoolers were a bit annoying which is a common complaint I've seen levied at this duet over the years. At least it was a decent success over there which is more than I can say for "Sandy" which was a flop in the southern hemisphere.
#77 for 1978 (#47 website)
Believe me, I was shocked when I realised this was a flop here in Australia back in the day, however it appears the kiwis were able to get their hands on this breakthrough single from ELO which is how it was able to appear on this list even if the rest of their catalogue saw much less success over there than it did over here.
#65 for 1976
This was the third hit to come from Leo Sayer's magnum opus Endless flight in NZ, I guess this is further proof that the kiwis didn't allow strong album sales to affect the success of said albums singles back in the day given how this was a minor hit at best here in Australia despite how much more well-loved the English crooner was over here back in the day.
#68 for 1977 (#48 website)
This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess because the kiwis didn't find much chemistry between the two vocalists on here like we Aussies did but also due to adult contemporary being less popular this year over there than it was compared to the rest of the world.
#76 for 1979
Much like here in Australia and throughout the rest of the world, this was the final hit that Wings achieved over in NZ given how the band would call it quits by the end of the decade so that Paul could finally pursue his solo career throughout the 80's.
#77 for 1979
You know that this guy was inescapable in NZ when he managed to score a third hit in a row on their charts with this entry, this comes from his second successful album Are you ready for Freddy (insert FNAF reference here) which sadly didn't translate to him having further success even in NZ throughout the decade.
#66 for 1976
While Earth wind and fire are well known for being a disco band at heart, they also had their fair share of slow jams such as this second single from their commercial breakthrough in the southern hemisphere I am. I guess we Aussies weren't feeling it here as this was a massive flop for the band over here, however it was more of a success in NZ where the band were on a roll thanks to their earlier entry.
#78 for 1979
This was a little late to the party in NZ compared to the rest of the world, however it was a success once it did see the light of day over there albeit not quite on the same level as the rest of the world presumably because the kiwis weren't as impressed with the double A single as the rest of the world was.
#78 for 1978
This is another RNB group of colour to find massive success two decades after their initial breakthrough worldwide, just like the Drifters, this was due to their sudden popularity in the UK as this ballad managed to become a huge chart topper for them over there which of course sparked its success in NZ. I guess we Aussies passed this up in favour of the Three degrees who sadly flopped in NZ.
#41 for 1975 (#36 website)
Dazz was one of the less popular disco bands to have a hit in their native America this decade, this was the hit they had on Billboard which was groovy enough for it to crossover to NZ this year in the early months of the year, making this another entry that could potential place higher were it not for the long summer gap the charts had at the time.
#69 for 1977
I'm guessing we Aussies were a big fan of the film this serves as the official theme song to given how it and Donna Summer's Oscar winning track from earlier on this list both flopped on our charts this year where it succeeded in NZ. The band who brought it to life was a group of session musicians that the producers threw together, making this one of those corporatised songs that mingled in with the genuine articles back in the day.
#79 for 1978 (#48 website)
OK to everyone who thought the Teletubbies were bizarre, allow me to present to you the 70's equivalent known as the Wombles who were massively popular in the UK and also in NZ if the success of their theme song is anything to go by. Then again, this was an excellent time for TV themes over there given how many we've looked at on this side of my site already.
#67 for 1976 (#42 website)
Although these guys didn't see the massive success in NZ that they achieved here in Australia, I will say that they were able to have all of their big hits down under successfully reappear on this side of my site as they each managed to connect with the kiwis back in the day, suggesting that they too were into queer music during a time of systemic homophobia.
#79 for 1979
It's about time I featured a song from Santana that had Carlos Santana on lead vocals, here he covers the Zombies classic from over a decade prior which allowed it to become a success in NZ in lieu of the album it came from. I guess we Aussies passed this up in favour of said album, although this remains a favourite on our oldie's stations to this day.
#80 for 1978
Given how they saw massive success this year in NZ with their live album that captured their performance at Budokan, it makes sense that Cheap trick was able to find success over there even though their breakthrough with this track came here in Australia when they performed it on Countdown. Even so, it was likely because of said performance that it was far more popular here than it was over there.
#80 for 1979
This certainly was an excellent time for country music in the mainstream, wasn't it? Here we have the one and only hit from the Ozark Mountain daredevils (yet another silly band name I have to write up on this site) which likely connected with the kiwis this year thanks to it having some elements of prog sprinkled throughout its runtime.
#42 for 1975 (#37 website)
This is one of those ballads that made it big due to the influx of adult contemporary that made it big during the 70's, although it's worth noting that this guy began his career in the disco genre given how his previous claim to fame was as a part of Disco Tex and his Sexolettes who you may know for their Billboard hit single "Get dancing" from two years prior.
#70 for 1977
It appears the kiwis had so much love for Jim Gilstrap that they gave him a second hit this year in the form of this underrated gem, this would sadly be the full extent of his popularity worldwide in terms of his music as he wouldn't release another album due to the failure of his first album in his native America.
#43 for 1975 (#38 website)
If the name Hues corporation is familiar to you, that's because this is the group that brought the world "Rock the boat" earlier in the decade which is often credited as one of the songs that brought disco to the mainstream due to its success in their native America. The kiwis obviously still had enough love for them to make this a hit long after their popularity had faded throughout the rest of the world.
#71 for 1977
In a strange twist of events, "Right back where we started from" was only a minor success in NZ and thus won't be reappearing on this side of my site. I bring this up because Maxine Nightingale did manage to have a hit over there with this gem three years later likely due to it being a massive hit in America even though it flopped here in Australia and throughout Europe.
#81 for 1979
This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I would say it was due to strong album sales except A: that doesn't explain the success of songs from highly successful albums over there this decade and B: the album was a huge failure over there despite its massive success over here.
#82 for 1979
Well, we looked at the remix of this track on my 1986 list on this side of my site, so why not look at the original version which I did say was a hit upon its initial release this year. I'm not sure why this didn't crossover here in Australia given how many of the other disco tracks from musicians of colour were able to back in the day.
#68 for 1976 (#44 website)
This only barely makes the cut for this list due to how it managed to hang around long enough during the early existence of the RIANZ charts to qualify for this spot, if I were to go over the Listener charts, this would've been much higher on this list due to it dominating the final stretch of that chart’s existence.
#44 for 1975 (#34 website)
This managed to sneak onto the list due to a lack of competition from when it came out, after all, I can't see why the kiwis would still be supporting the Hollies even at this level given how their popularity died out throughout the rest of the world.
#69 for 1976
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