I kind of dragged myself making this list given how the charts completely changed in NZ in 2004, as such I decided to compile this list based on the old charts and do a separate list based on the new charts later in the week. Both these lists are how I constructed my yearly lists from last year for the record.
This was slightly more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because it charted higher over there for much longer which is odd because it obviously had much stiffer competition over there than it did here in Australia and yet this is how its success panned out in both countries. Either way, this song's success was proof that both countries wanted more of Savage Garden and initially took whatever they could get from either member.
#33 for 2002
Whereas this was the final hit for Ricky Martin in Australia and several parts of the world, in NZ, he had one more hit the following year with Christina Aguilera proving that his time in the spotlight wasn't quite up over there like it was over here once this fell off our charts. I guess the kiwis wanted to keep around a while longer given how they were admittedly late to the party when it came to his popularity.
#28 for 2000
This is a much more accurate placement on this list to reflect how popular this comeback single for Kylie Minogue was here in Australia, although in NZ, it was an even bigger comeback given how she hadn't had a hit over there since her debut album from twelve years prior. Indeed, it was like they had skipped over all of her 90's material and went straight from 1988 to this year as far as they were concerned.
#29 for 2000
Well Australia had 28 days and America had Limp Bizkit, so I guess Blindspott would be NZ's equivalent of nu metal given how immensely popular the band was largely thanks to the success of this runaway hit from their debut album that had been released six months prior to when this became a hit for the band. They did manage to have minor success with their second album later in the decade.
#34 for 2003
It appears that the kiwis had much more love for Christina Aguilera during her time with Disney than we Aussies did as the second single from her debut album managed to be way more popular over there at the start of the decade and even give her a number one hit which is something that didn't happen here in Australia until "Beautiful" from her second album.
#30 for 2000
While this was delayed over in NZ for some reason, said delay paid off as it became a much bigger hit for Madonna over there than it did over here in Australia (the only song in her career to do so mind you) proving that even the queen of pop herself can occasionally benefit from a delayed released in her career. It proved to be a bigger hit than "Music" over there as well which also wasn't the case down under.
#30 for 2001
Although One hot minute was a commercial success in NZ, it failed to produce a hit single for them the way Blood sugar sex magik and especially Californication did, meaning that it feels like they simply skipped over that album and picked up where the former left off with the second single from the latter over there. This likely would've been a success here in Australia were it not for the strong album sales that ate it up.
#31 for 2000
This proved to be equally as successful for Usher in both countries in the southern hemisphere, or at least it would've had it not been for the stiff competition it had in NZ which means that it was technically more successful over there than it was over here for the prince of RNB (albeit only slightly.) I guess the tradeoff for him having this much success with his singles over there is that his album was a commercial disappointment.
#31 for 2001
#34 for 2002
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ for Ronan Keating as it was here in Australia, mainly because once again, it had stiffer competition with many of the entries that outrank it on this list which prevented it from dominating their charts the same way it did over here. I guess it could also be that there was already a popular cover of the Garth Brooks classic to make it big over there from five years prior.
#35 for 2002
Even though Jewel was one of the biggest names in music throughout the 90's, this was her only hit over in NZ which coincidentally was a song that failed to become as such here in Australia despite her having plenty of success with her singles over here. I guess this is somewhere between her indie folk roots from her first two albums and her pop sellout of her fourth album which the kiwis found to be the perfect balance.
#32 for 2001
#36 for 2002
This was originally an album track from Ricky Martin's second English album Sound loaded, it was turned into a duet when Christina Aguilera decided to try and appeal to the Latin market to let people know of her Hispanic heritage given her exotic surname led people to question what it actually was. It was a massive hit for the duo in NZ, definitely more so than in Australia where it was a flop for them.
#33 for 2001
This was the second hit that the Sugababes managed to achieve in NZ and their native UK, it was also their first hit here in Australia given how popular this was on our radio even though it took a while for it to crossover here after it became an international hit for them. They would have two more hits over there later in the decade, both of which were also hits for them here in Australia.
#37 for 2002
This was about as equally successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Stacie Orrico, although her true popularity wouldn't peak until she released her earlier entry on this list which seemed to resonate better with the kiwis than this did back in the day. I guess this was more of a song about teenage drama which the kiwis felt there was only so much room for at the time.
#35 for 2003
Given how the album cycle for P!nk's second album wasn't tampered with in NZ like it was here in Australia, this means that the second single from the album managed to be much more successful over there which is interesting as many will tell you that this is her true debut single given how it has far more personal lyrics than anything she had released prior.
#38 for 2002
If you couldn't tell from the band name or album art, Katchafire was a tribute band to the late and great Bob Marley who managed to score a massive breakthrough this this track that does sound like something the reggae legend would've made had he lived to see the 21st century. It was their only hit over there, however they were more of an albums band given that's where their success came from.
#39 for 2002
I guess I should talk about the song itself in this entry given how we all know what happened to her once this became her final hit anywhere in the world, this is a song about the love of Janet's life that the kiwis and her fellow Americans found more endearing back in the day than we Aussies did. It was a bit of a comeback for her in NZ considering the disappointing turnout of her singles from the Velvet rope over there.
#34 for 2001
Whereas in Australia this was a huge success for Nickelback upon its initial release the previous year, this only became a success this year in NZ once it became a Billboard chart topper for the band in the early months of the year which prompted the kiwis to finally check out what all the fuss was about with this track. You can say that they tried to not make these guys a household name but caved once they were in America.
#40 for 2002
While this does appear slightly higher on this list than on the Australian counterpart, I should mention that it along with every other entry on here had stiffer competition with each other, meaning this collaboration between Wyclef Jean and City High frontwoman Claudette Ortiz was far more successful over there than it was over here. This is impressive given how City High didn't have any success over there like they did over here.
#41 for 2002
Although her hit from the previous year was massive and allowed her album to go straight to number one, it was this song from the album that allowed it to finally be a massive success for Anika Moa in her homeland which put her in the same leagues as the likes of Bic Runga and her sister Boh when it came to influential female musicians from NZ.
#42 for 2002
Given how the kiwis never had an issue with songs become a hit from already highly successful albums like we Aussies have over the years, this means that the third single from JT's solo debut managed to be even more of a success over there than it was over here. This wasn't the only song from the album to improve its ranking because of this feat, we'll be looking at the other song to achieve this in a bit.
#36 for 2003
This was the final hit that Robbie Williams had from his sophomore album in NZ and his native UK, it became a massive success for him given how he was inescapably popular in both countries despite this being a massive flop for him everywhere else in the world. This song's success no doubt led to his lead single from his second album from earlier on this list becoming an instant success worldwide.
#32 for 2000
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
This wasn't going to be a success over in NZ likely due to the kiwis still not being fully open to EDM by the turn of the millennium, however it was eventually released as a single over there due to its success here in Australia for Bomfunk MCs where it became a massive hit for the Finnish band. They were a one hit wonder over there as "B boys and fly girls" failed to become a success like it was here.
#33 for 2000
I guess the kiwis weren't as on board with these guys competing in the boy band wars given how this wasn't as successful over there as it was over here or their native America despite topping the charts over there. At least their other single from their second album was more of a hit over there than it was over here (stay tuned for it) proving that they had some mileage with the kiwis during their heyday.
#34 for 2000
This was slightly less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I guess once you factor in the stiffer competition it had over there compared to over here, then you can argue it was equally as successful in both countries for Sophie. It turns out this was a much bigger hit over there than her biggest hit here in Australia, although that is still to come so it's not like the kiwis ignored it or anything.
#43 for 2002
This debut single from Chingy proved to be more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, there's little wonder as to why given that the kiwis were always happy to reward hip hop with success more so than we Aussies have over the years (even to rappers as divisive as Chingy.) Indeed, all of his hits here managed to be even bigger over there as we'll see over the next few lists of mine.
#37 for 2003
Given how this wasn't delayed as a single over in NZ like it was here in Australia (I'm not going to speculate on the reason why) this was naturally a much bigger hit over there than it was over here given how the kiwis were also impressed with the Russian duo's stance against homophobia they took with this track. This was originally recorded in Russian before they translated it into English for a wider audience.
#38 for 2003
I did mention on the Australian side of my site that the Sugababes had more success in NZ than they did down under, let's have a look at the song which introduced the world to the trio which was a massive hit over there and one that I remember hearing on the radio quite a bit back in the day as was the case for many entries on these lists of mine that failed to appear on the Australian side of my site.
#35 for 2000
#36 for 2001
While this was slightly less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I should bring up that it did have stiff competition this year from many of the entries we've looked at so far on this list. Something else I noticed is that this is the biggest hip-hop track of the year of there, suggesting that the kiwis were more interested in giving success to British artists than American artists and their genres.
#37 for 2001
This took a while to take off in NZ which is odd because Craig's debut album was more of an instant success over there than it was over here, I guess the kiwis needed some incentive to make this song about his sexual escapades a success which came when it became a massive hit for him over in Australia upon its initial release here. They would explain why it was slightly more popular here than it was over there.
#36 for 2000
#38 for 2001
It appears the behind the scenes drama involving this song from Destiny's child didn't appeal much to the kiwis when it came to the song itself as though their album greatly benefitted from it over there like it did worldwide, it wasn't the case with the song which achieved the same level of success over there it would've had two of its members not found out they were fired from the band by viewing its music video.
#37 for 2000
So, it turns out Lauryn Hill had a hit in NZ after all, although it wasn't from her magnum opus the Miseducation of but rather as a virtual duet with Bob Marley on a track from his 1977 album Exodus (side note, how come so many of his posthumous hits have come from that album?) It's the last successful song from either artist as death finally caught up with the late reggae legend and the less said about Lauryn the better.
#38 for 2000
While this was slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I think that's more because Westlife were fairly inescapable over there during the first half of the decade as opposed to them finding more love with this cover of the Billy Joel classic than we Aussies did. I didn't mention that this was a bonus track from the deluxe edition of their second album, mainly because that didn't seem to be important on the Australian equivalent of this list.
#39 for 2001
This is another song that managed to become a massive hit in NZ despite never been given a release here in Australia, this time it's the third single from Avril Lavigne's debut album which remains one of her most popular tracks in her catalogue due to how vulnerable it portrays her as without coming off as too sappy and sentimental. This would sadly be her final hit over there until "Girlfriend" from her third album.
#39 for 2003
While there have been many improvements on these rankings of mine from songs that could be considered to be among the most defining of the decade, this second single from Beyonce's solo debut was one of the few to actually fall in these rankings as it appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with this love ballad with Sean Paul as the rest of the world was. In fact, Sean Paul in general wasn't well received over there for some reason.
#40 for 2003
It's interesting that this song would be a massive hit for the teenage singer/songwriter K'lee given how the original from Mr. Mister was never a success over in NZ back in the day like it was internationally, then again, it did chart over there so perhaps she came across it one day and decided to make it her own fifteen years after the original's release.
#40 for 2001
This was the second and final hit that Mareko managed to achieve in his homeland, I'm guessing he wanted to be the king of NZ hip hop but had that ambition taken away from him by Scribe who achieved infinitely more success over there than he did. Still, having two massive hits to open your career wasn't bad, he just had the bad luck of having stiff competition in the NZ hip hop game.
#41 for 2003
#9 for 2004
I'm surprised this was only a sleeper hit at best for Michelle Branch here in Australia, mainly because I remember hearing this quite a bit on the radio back in the day which I would've thought translated to people making it a success for her here. Fortunately, that was the case in NZ which led to her joining the ranks of Vanessa Carlton and Avril Lavigne as successful female singer/songwriters of the decade.
#41 for 2001
#44 for 2002
This song from Mary J Blige was delayed a release over in NZ, this is a bit odd considering that A: it was usually us Aussies that delayed the release of an RNB track over the years and B: Mary already had minor success over there throughout the 90's which means the kiwis would already recognise her work prior to this Billboard chart topper of hers. Of course, this worked out for her over there given how much bigger it was compared to down under.
#45 for 2002
This is the final hit that Westlife managed to score in NZ, although they would find success with their later material albeit only on their album charts even though they scored a massive hit here in Australia with "You raise me up" from one of those albums. If there was a third round of the boy band wars, I would declare Blue as the winner as they managed to score far more success with their singles than these guys.
#46 for 2002
This being far less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia is further proof I have that the kiwis were losing interest in hip hop and indeed American music in general coming into the new millennium, although admittedly they clearly made somewhat of an exception for these guys given how this did chart higher over there than it did over here even though it was still more popular over here.
#42 for 2001
This is the only other song from Christina Aguilera's second album that will be reappearing on this list, I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with the album overall save for this female empowerment anthem and her self-empowerment anthem from earlier on this list. This is the second and final hit that she achieved worldwide with Lil Kim providing her a guest verse following their collaboration on "Lady marmalade."
#42 for 2003
Even though this was released on time over in NZ, it appears that didn't do the song's popularity any favours over there it didn't become as popular as it was here in Australia where it was delayed in order to allow Guy Sebastian's earlier entry on this list to dominate our charts during the holiday season of 2003/2004. I guess the kiwis didn't find this haunting ballad as beautiful as we Aussies did.
#10 for 2004
There were no signs of Enrique Iglesias slowing down when entering the new decade given how this second single from his first English album he released in English managed to be a massive success over there similar to "Bailamos" from the previous year, although it's worth noting that it wasn't particularly popular in any other English-speaking country in the world.
#39 for 2000
This was slightly bigger over in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because it charted higher over there which gives you the impression that the Irish singer was poised for great things this decade over there given how this managed to break her through into the American market this year. Alas, this was also her only hit over there like it was in Australia and America, meaning those promises were empty.
#40 for 2000
#43 for 2001
This was another song that managed to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, although it does feel odd this was the case given how Daft Punk managed to achieve success over there around this time here in Australia and yet the French duo failed to replicate that success over there like this fellow French duo did.
#41 for 2000
This wasn't quite as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia for Shaggy, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't as thrilled with the "Angel of the morning" sample that the track uses but it could also be them not being as impressed with Shaggy's comeback overall despite said comeback being released slightly earlier over there than it was over here.
#44 for 2001
Here's that second big hit from Macy Gray I mentioned on her earlier entry on this list, it was more of the same in both its sound and lyrical scope as that song given how it sees Macy still having feelings for someone who she feels is bad for her. It's no surprise it was a hit over there given how inescapably popular the album was worldwide, heck it's a bit of a surprise it was a flop here if I'm being honest.
#42 for 2000
Given how Britney's earlier entry on this list wasn't pulled from shelves in NZ like it was here in Australia, there was no chance of this being more popular than that track over there like it was over here (at least according to ARIA) which feels right given how this has fallen into semi obscurity by the masses. It remains a fan favourite due to how personal it felt coming from her, but it's not instantly recognisable outside her fanbase.
#43 for 2000
While there were many songs that were released months late in Australia that wound up finding more success here than in most parts of the world, this one and only hit from former Xscape member Kandi Burruss was the rare exception to a song being released on time this decade finding more success in NZ than it did here in Australia. I'm not too familiar with the girl group she came from, mainly because they saw no success outside their native America.
#44 for 2000
#45 for 2001
Even taking into consideration that every song that placed high on the Australian equivalent of this list had stiffer competition to what didn't place high on that list, it appears that the kiwis weren't as impressed with this breakthrough single from Sophie Ellis Bextor as we Aussies were likely due to them not finding the video as endearing as her earlier entry on this list.
#47 for 2002
This feels like a more reasonable ranking for Delta Goodrem's second single from her debut album, although there's no denying that it was a massive success here in Australia which makes its international appeal make sense to me. These two entries from her on this list were her only hits in the UK, suggesting that the Brits didn't gravitate towards her music because of her appearance on Neighbours.
#43 for 2003
Much like his previous appearance on this site, this was also a double entry from Scribe which comprised of "Dreaming" and "So nice" which meant that both songs were able to become his second chart topper over there and no doubt led to the success he achieved here in Australia this year.
#11 for 2004
There were no signs of these guys slowing down entering the new decade in NZ, sure we Aussies had already given up on them as we felt they had no chance in the boy band wars competing with the likes of Five and Human Nature, however the kiwis sure felt they did which is why they managed to score a string of hits during the first half of the decade with these types of ballads.
#45 for 2000
Given how Talk Talk managed to achieve minor success in NZ throughout the 80's, I guess it makes sense that this cover of one of their most iconic tracks from No doubt would see more success over in NZ even if that success came a bit late over there compared to over here where it was a hit upon its initial release. This is likely what eased the kiwis into accepting Gwen's solo career from earlier on this list.
#44 for 2003
#12 for 2004
This is a song that only barely missed the cut from appearing on the Australian side of my site, likely because we Aussies passed up the songs from Alicia Key's debut album in favour of buying the album itself this year. Fortunately, the kiwis have never allowed a successful album to affect the success of its singles, hence why this female empowerment ballad managed to be a massive success for her over there.
#48 for 2002
It appears Elton John gave Blue his full blessing when they decided to record one of his more poignant tracks from the 70's, so much so that he even agreed to rerecord the chorus on the track to give off the impression that he was duetting with them which does admittedly bring a queer element to this cover that wasn't present on the original. Naturally this wasn't a hit here in Australia given how Blue were yesterday's news here by this point.
#45 for 2003
Much like here in Australia, this disco inspired track from S club 7 was their final hit in NZ likely due to us Aussies and kiwis growing tired of their phenomenon both with their music and TV show. Depending on who you ask, this is either their best or worst song as those who love it feel it's an accurate recreation of the 70's disco scene whilst those who hate it feel that it's dated kitsch from a fad band.
#46 for 2001
Given how Five for fighting's earlier entry on this list was considered as the unofficial anthem for 9/11 in NZ instead of this track from Enrique Iglesias, it meant that it wouldn't have the same impact over there as it did here in Australia which seems to have largely affected the sales of his second English speaking album over there as while it was successful, it won't be appearing on this side of my site.
#49 for 2002
This was Sugar Ray's only success in NZ, likely due to the animated video that aired on Cartoon Network which is honestly my only memories of this song back in the day here in Australia (admittedly it was a huge flop here despite it airing on the program.) It could also be that it makes for a good beach jam as do a few other entries on this list that failed to appear on the Australian side of this site.
#47 for 2001
These guys were on a roll as they managed to score their third hit in a row from their debut album in their homeland, in fact every one of their singles they released during their time together managed to crack the top twenty in their homeland, proving how massively popular they were throughout the decade.
#46 for 2003
Unlike here in Australia where it was obvious that both versions of this track charted back in the day for J-Lo due to the "remix" causing the song to rise up on our charts the following year, it's hard to say which version was the big hit in NZ as its chart run over there suggests that only one of them was successful. I've included both versions on this list to ensure that the correct versions is represented regardless.
#48 for 2001
Given how this song never even touched the number one spot in NZ (nor did it even come close to doing so) this meant that its success was more spread out during its chart run which allowed it to be placed in a much better position on this new list of mine even if it still feels relatively low compared to how unavoidable the song was back in the day.
#46 for 2000
Brooke Fraser was on a roll with her debut album as she managed to score a second hit from it which no doubt helped it become a massive success in her homeland thanks to how wise she sounded on each of her singles from the album. It's little wonder she was able to keep finding success throughout the decade over there whilst the likes of Avril Lavigne and Michelle Branch struggled.
#47 for 2003
#13 for 2004
I guess the kiwis weren't as big of fans as Bad Boys II as we Aussies were, either that or they felt that the theme song to the film didn't stack up to the multiple hits that the first film spawned over there eight years prior given how much lower this posse cut appears on this list compared to the Australian equivalent. You can't even say it's because of the rappers as they were immensely popular over there as well.
#48 for 2003
This was merely a minor hit for Robbie Williams here in Australia, at least it was released here on time as opposed to "Better man" which only saw the light of day here by the end of this year (which we'll revisit in a moment.) Naturally this song was a bigger hit in NZ where he was on a roll thanks to how charismatic he was coming off with the kiwis from the start of the new millennium.
#49 for 2001
Although this collaboration between J-Lo and LL Cool J wasn't as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, at least their reunion from later in the decade was a hit over there where it wasn't over here, meaning that the kiwis did have some investment into the storyline of these two being together in their respective music careers.
#49 for 2003
While this was a hit here in Australia for Powderfinger, it was only a sleeper hit despite entering our charts in the top five (it quickly fell to the lower half of our charts.) I guess the kiwis were willing to allow this to be a hit over there this year in exchange for the album not being as successful as it was down under, although the album was a massive sleeper hit over there throughout the year.
#50 for 2001
This was slightly more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because in addition to charting better over there than it did over here, it also had stiffer competition from many of the entries that outrank it on this list. With that said, his popularity wouldn't peak anywhere in the world until his next album Confessions, specifically with all of the hit singles it managed to spawn.
#51 for 2001
There were no signs of Blue slowing down in NZ and especially their native UK as they managed to achieve massive success in both countries with the lead single and title track from their second album, by this point, we Aussies had given up on any prospect of a third boy bands war but that clearly wasn't the case in those two countries given how this wasn't their final hit in their catalogue.
#50 for 2002
#50 for 2003
Given how this song was released on time in NZ due to "Better man" already being a hit for Robbie Williams upon that song's initial release over there, this means that his collaboration with Nicole Kidman managed to become more of a success for him there which of course resulted in its appearance being much higher on this side of my site as well as it appearing on more than one list of mine.
#52 for 2001
#51 for 2002
This proved to be equally as popular in NZ as it did here in Australia, although it's worth noting that despite it failing to crack their top five, this was the biggest hit that Five had on their second album over there due to it having much less competition going into the new millennium than what the lead single from the previous year had. This was also their final hit over there as they didn't score any more hits after this.
#47 for 2000
This was both the last chart topper of the 90's and the first of the 00's in NZ, so you'd think it would've been even higher on this list than on the Australian equivalent, but you'd be wrong as it didn't last as long on their charts as it did on ours. That said, this was still a massive success for S Club 7 and set them up for a highly successful decade despite said success fizzling out after their second album.
#48 for 2000
Given how Robbie Williams was one of the most popular artists of the moment going into the new millennium in NZ, it makes sense that this third single from his third album was released on time over there as opposed to it randomly being released as year later here in Australia where it admittedly went on to become more of a hit over here than it was over here and even boost the popularity of the album.
#49 for 2000
#53 for 2001
For whatever reason, this cover of the MJ classic from 1988 wasn't as big a hit for Alien ant farm in NZ as it was everywhere else in the world given how much lower it appears on this list compared to the Australian equivalent. I guess the kiwis made up for this blunder later in the decade by giving the band a second hit over there that wasn't a hit anywhere else in the world.
#54 for 2001
#52 for 2002
This is only one of three songs from J-Lo to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, I'm guessing the kiwis were bigger fans of the Wedding planner given how her album this also serves as the lead single to didn't find any success over there until the success of her earlier entry on this list. At least she still had plenty of success over there during the first half of the decade.
#55 for 2001
This was the debut single for one of the few openly gay NZ musicians to make it big in their homeland, although it took a while to take off over there likely due to her fellow kiwis being sceptical of her initially when it came to her wanting to be a successful female singer/songwriter. They were eventually won over as this climbed their charts around the time she released her debut album.
#56 for 2001
Well, I've pretty much hyped up this third single from P!nk's second album throughout the Australian side of this site, so let's finally look at how this song did massively well worldwide and why it was a huge radio staple here back in the day despite lacking a physical release. This is P!nk taking the "your love is my drug" metaphor and flipping it to be about how the love she had for this person is making her sick as if she was taking drugs.
#53 for 2002
This is one of only two entries that Matchbox 20 will have on this side of my site, the other entry will come from their greatest hits package from later in the decade as that was fairly popular over there upon its initial release. it makes sense that this would be their biggest hit over there considering A: it was their biggest hit in their native America and B: the subject matter remains endearing to this day.
#51 for 2003
Following their victory on Popstars UK, Hear'say managed to score a massive hit in their homeland as well as NZ of all places with this cover of the obscure girl group err.... Girl thing. Girl thing did have a minor hit here in Australia with "Last one standing" the previous year, so it is surprising that this cover didn't crossover here in Australia as well, however British music in general wasn't doing to well down under this decade.
#57 for 2001
This was the third single to be released from K'lee from her one and only album, given how it dropped around the time the album came out, its success was predictable even if most of her fellow kiwis would likely only know her for her cover of the Mr. Mister track from the previous year. Sadly, the album itself was a massive flop for her, leading to her not releasing anymore music in her career.
*Apologies for the terrible quality of this album art, images of this album cover are scarce on the internet. *
#54 for 2002
This proved to be equally as successful for P!nk in NZ as it was here in Australia, then again, this ballad about P!nk coping with her parents' divorce (presumably written at a young age) was the only song of hers from her second album to not be pulled from shelves here in Australia given how Sony had finally got the message that we Aussies weren't going to by her album by making the song unavailable to us.
#55 for 2002
#52 for 2003
This is the other hit from JT's solo debut album that managed to achieve a higher placement on this list compared to the Australian equivalent, again this was because its success wasn't eaten up by strong album sales over there like it was over here for the former boy band member. It's also possible the kiwis found it more amusing than us Aussies, I remember finding the outro particularly hilarious growing up.
#53 for 2003
It appears that the kiwis had a love/hate relationship with this song from J-Lo just like the rest of the world did, on the one hand, they appreciated her attempts at being down to earth over a bumping beat whilst on the other they felt that she missed the mark and wound up coming off as more out of touch with reality than ever before. The song has had a better reputation over the years due to this being a normal feat for celebrities.
#56 for 2002
#54 for 2003
I'm not sure why the deluxe edition of Ronan Keating's debut album was a flop over in NZ considering how it's one and only bonus track managed to be a massive success over there, I guess this song's success was the tradeoff to the album's failure considering how the inverse was the case for both the song and the album here in Australia despite me hearing this quite a bit on the radio back in the day.
#58 for 2001
Well, I told you this would be appearing much lower on this list compared to how well it did on the Australian side of my site, although rest assure that this was still a massive hit over in NZ this year even though it spent most of its time in the lower half of their charts. She wouldn't have this conundrum with her next album over there as all of her singles from M!ssundaztood would dominate their charts.
#50 for 2000
There were no signs of Bic Runga slowing down in her homeland this year as the second single from her highly acclaimed album Beautiful collision proved to be a massive success for her over there, it makes you wonder why she was unable to have some of this success translate over to Australia given how both entries on from the album were bigger hits over there than her big hit over here "Sway."
#57 for 2002
#55 for 2003
This was only slightly less successful in NZ for Destiny's child than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the shock had worn off from the kiwis that the quartet had replaced two of the members from earlier on this list without telling them they had been fired. I'm surprised this wasn't more of a hit worldwide considering how much more of a bop this is than their earlier entry.
#51 for 2000
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, mainly because it did chart as high over there as it did over here which suggests that we Aussies were more interested in having Busta Rhymes be an RNB singer than the kiwis were. There is rapping on this track, however it's nowhere near as intense as what fans of Busta are used, which could be another reason for its lack of success over there.
#56 for 2003
If the singer on this track sounds familiar to you, that's because this is the debut single from Robin Thicke who went by his surname when his first broke through into the music industry with this song that samples "A fifth of Beethoven" from Walter Murphy (which in turns was a remix of Beethoven's "Symphony no 5.") This was a minor hit here in Australia, although too minor to appear on that side of my site.
#57 for 2003
While Ja Rule did have massive success with his album Pain is love in NZ, it appears that the kiwis were only interested in his "thugs need love too" songs as his only hits he had over there had Ashanti involved on the chorus as opposed to here in Australia where he at least had a few other hits without her. That said, this did manage to be a bigger hit for them over in NZ than it was here in Australia.
#58 for 2002
This will be one of two entries from the alternative rock band Zed to appear on this list, it naturally was their biggest hit over there likely due to how anthemic the song is compared to a lot of the other entries on this list. Their other hit this year was released first and was arguably more successful as it charted longer than this did, however it also had a much lower peak position which is why this is higher.
#52 for 2000
This is one of the few singles from No Doubt to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, it also serves as a comeback single for them over there given how their second international album from earlier in the decade was a complete flop for them as opposed to being a mere modest success down under. I guess the kiwis came around for this track due to the reggae influence as well as the hip hop verse.
#59 for 2002
It took almost an entire decade for 3 the hard way to follow up their debut album from 1994, I guess the kiwis were very patient to see what else they had up their sleeves as this managed to become equally as successful over there as their debut single "Hip hop holiday" did. Given how there isn't an obvious sample that they use here like that song did, it wasn't a success over in Australia for the trio.
#58 for 2003
I would say that the kiwis were more on board with this endorsement of the Holiday in hotel chain except that the more likely explanation for this song's success over there was due to it coming from Chingy, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg who were all on a roll this year with their respective careers. Sadly, for Chingy himself, his popularity would die out once "Balla baby" fell off the charts worldwide.
#14 for 2004
Although this became a chart topper for Atomic Kitten in NZ whereas the original didn't, the original was still more successful over there than this rendition likely because it was purely through nostalgia of that version which allowed this to become a massive hit for the British trio over a decade after its release. Still, at least it was a massive hit over there and in their native UK as opposed to here in Australia where it wasn't.
#59 for 2001
It seems weird to me that Ja Rule's only repeat entries on this side of my site would be his collaborations with Ashanti, it makes you think the two were dating when in reality they only ever had a professional relationship with each other (she was dating Nelly for the record.) This time, the song was a success likely due to the video which pays obvious homage to the 70's cult classic Grease.
#59 for 2003
This was way more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because Enrique Iglesias was on a roll this year as well as Whitney herself seeing a massive comeback the previous year with her hit "My love is your love." Like I said on the Australian side of this site, this was a passing the torch moment for both artists as she wouldn't have another hit after this whilst he would dominate the music industry.
#53 for 2000
You'd think that this cover of the 90's classic would've been an even bigger hit for Blue, not only did it fail to become a bigger hit than the original over there, but it also even failed to become a bigger hit for them over there than it was over here despite charting higher over there than it did over here. I guess the kiwis didn't like their take on the RNB classic as much as the rest of their catalogue as they had plenty of success over there after this.
#60 for 2001
This is the final hit that Atomic Kitten had over in NZ, they would have a few more hits in their native UK before even their fellow Brits became bored of their music in favour of the likes of the Sugababes and Girls aloud. I guess there are worse songs you could end your winning streak on given how this was a minor hit in Australia around this time for the trio.
#60 for 2003
#15 for 2004
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