NZ Top 40

The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music Chart also includes the top 40 Hot Singles chart, the top 20 New Zealand artist singles and albums, the top 20 Hot New Zealand singles, and top 10 compilation albums. All charts are compiled from data of both physical and digital sales from music retailers in New Zealand.

The chart also publishes gold and platinum certifications of albums and singles, according to thresholds set by Recorded Music NZ, through the dababase on radioscope.net.nz.

Methodology

The singles chart is currently sales and streaming data of songs. In June 2014 it was announced that the chart would also include streaming; this took effect for the chart published 7 November 2014 and dated 10 November 2014. Previously airplay was factored into the chart methodology as well.

History

Before 1975, music charts in New Zealand had been regionally compiled by magazines, record stores, and radio stations on an ad hoc basis. This often occurred at different times which made chart compiling complex, and even then only singles were counted.

From May 1975 to 2004, RIANZ also published an nationwide annual ranking chart of singles and albums released in New Zealand. Position was awarded by a simple scoring system whereby a number one in one week gets 50 points, a number two gets 49 points and so on, then all weeks are added together. From 2004 onwards, however, the annual charts have songs positioned based on the number of sales for that year.

From April 2007 to October 2011, the charts were displayed and archived at the website radioscope.net.nz which listed 13 different charts, most notably RadioScope100 and NZ40 Airplay Chart. In November 2011, RIANZ launched an updated chart website. The new Chart website also provides the ability to listen to song previews, view music videos, and buy tracks and albums.

On 19 June 2021, a new chart was launched for the top ten songs in te reo Māori, for songs with at least 70% of vocals in Māori.

Additional charts

Aotearoa charts

In addition to the main Top 40 Singles and Top 40 Albums charts ranking the top forty singles and albums by all artists, on 28 October 2011 Recorded Music NZ began publishing the Top 20 New Zealand Singles and Top 20 New Zealand Albums charts, which ranked the top twenty singles and albums by New Zealand artists only. They are currently named the Top 20 Aotearoa Singles and Top 20 Aotearoa Albums charts.

Heatseekers chart

An additional "Heatseekers" chart was first published on the chart dated 5 October 2015. The chart consisted of the top ten singles outside of (and that had not previously charted inside) the top forty, and had the same rules and criteria as the Top 40 Singles Chart. Once a title made an appearance inside the top forty at any point, it became ineligible to appear on the Heatseekers chart.

Hot Singles chart

Following the discontinuation of the Heatseekers chart, in July 2018 Recorded Music NZ began publishing the Hot Singles Chart, which tracks the "40 fastest-moving tracks by sales, streams and airplay". Songs can appear on both the NZ Top 40 and NZ Hot Singles charts simultaneously, as the primary aim of the Hot Singles chart is to "reflect the songs achieving the greatest week-on-week growth".

Te Reo Māori singles chart

In mid-June 2021, Recorded Music NZ began publishing Te Reo Māori O Te Rārangi 10 O Runga chart, also known as the Top 10 Te Reo Māori Singles, which tracks songs at are at least 70% sung in Te Reo Māori using sales, streaming and airplay data.

Lists of number-ones

Weekly charts

Singles

; 1960s

; 1970s

; 1980s–2020s

Albums

Compilations

Annual charts

Singles

; 1970s

; 1980s

; 1990s

; 2000s

; 2010s

; 2020s

Albums

; 1990s

; 2000s

; 2010s

; 2020s

40th anniversary

In May 2015, Recorded Music NZ celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Official NZ Top 40 Music Charts. An event was held at Vector Arena in Auckland and featured performances from 16 artists from New Zealand and overseas who had previously achieved various chart milestones, including most number ones, most chart entries, most weeks in the chart and most weeks at number one.

As part of the celebrations, a limited edition single pressed on red vinyl was released, with Tiki Taane's song "Always on my Mind" (the New Zealand track to spend the most weeks - 55 - in the singles chart) and Scribe's song "Stand Up" (the New Zealand single to spend the most weeks - 12 - at number one).

The following chart achievements were noted:

; Singles

* Most no.1 singles: The Beatles have fourteen as a band, Justin Bieber with eleven and Katy Perry with nine no.1 singles respectively
* Most no.1 singles (NZ): Deep Obsession, 3 no. 1 singles
* Most chart entries: Madonna, 53 entries
* Most chart entries (NZ): Shihad, 25 entries
* Most weeks in chart: New Order " Blue Monday", 74 weeks
* Most weeks in chart (NZ): Tiki Taane "Always On My Mind", 55 weeks

; Albums

* Most No.1 albums: U2, 13 no.1 albums
* Most No.1 albums (NZ): Local Act: Hayley Westenra, and Shihad, five no.1 albums each
* Most chart entries: Elton John, 35 entries
* Most chart entries (NZ): Split Enz, 14 entries
* Most weeks in chart: Pink Floyd ''The Dark Side of the Moon'', 297 weeks
* Most weeks in chart (NZ): Fat Freddy's Drop ''Based on a True Story'', 108 weeks
* Most weeks at no.1: Adele '' 21'', 28 weeks
* Most weeks at no.1 (NZ): Hayley Westenra '' Pure'', 19 weeks

Certifications

Gold and Platinum certifications are awarded once a release hits the qualifying thresholds, which are based on chart-eligible retail sales and paid stream equivalent data.

From June 2016, the method of determining certifications was changed to a points-based system based on a combination of physical sales, digital sales and online streams. For singles, 175 streams is considered equal to one sale. For albums, the Stream Equivalent Album (SEA) system is used.

A single qualifies for gold certification if it exceeds 15,000 points and platinum certification if it exceeds 30,000 points. An album qualifies for gold certification if it exceeds 7500 points and platinum certification if it exceeds 15,000 points. wholesale sales to retailers. For music DVDs (formerly videos), a gold accreditation represents 2,500 copies shipped, with a platinum accreditation representing 5,000 units shipped.

Chart records

Artists with the most number-one hits

These totals include singles when the artist is 'featured'—that is, not the main artist.

: – The Beatles' 14 chart placings predate the Official New Zealand Music Chart which began in May 1975.

New Zealand artists with the most number-one hits

These totals includes singles when the artist is 'featured'—that is, not the main artist.

: – includes duet or collaboration by two New Zealand artists.
: – includes songs whose chart placings predate the Official New Zealand Music Chart which began in May 1975.

Singles with most weeks at number one

;Key
: – Song of New Zealand originWhether or not a song is of New Zealand origin is determined by Recorded Music New Zealand
: Songs denoted with an asterisk (*) spent non-consecutive weeks at number one

List of certified albums

The following is a list of albums that have been certified by the Recorded Music NZ for ten platinum or more

Ten times

*''1989''
*''Beautiful Collision''
*''Metallica''

Eleven times

*''Come Away with Me''
*''Greatest Hits''
*''I Dreamed a Dream''

Twelve times

*''Christmas''
*''Falling into You''
*''The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)''
*'' Pure''
*''Thriller''

Thirteen times

*'' 21''
*'' Rumours''

Fourteen times

*''The Joshua Tree''
*''The Wall''

Fifteen times

*'' 1''

Sixteen times

*'' Gold: Greatest Hits''
*''The Dark Side of the Moon''

Seventeen times

*'' ÷''
*''Bat Out of Hell''
*''Born in the U.S.A.''

Twenty times

*''Legend''

Twenty one times

*''Come On Over''

Twenty four times

*'' Brothers in Arms''
*'

See also

* List of number-one singles in New Zealand by New Zealand artists
* List of number-one albums in New Zealand by New Zealand artists
* List of best-selling albums in New Zealand

References

Bibliography

*

External links

Official Aotearoa Music Charts WebsiteNew Zealand Charts portal and archive

{{Record Charts

New Zealand record charts