Rock music in New Zealand, also known as Kiwi rock music and New Zealand rock music, rose to prominence first in 1955 with Johnny Cooper's cover version of Bill Haley's hit song "Rock Around the Clock". This was followed by Johnny Devlin, sometimes nicknamed New Zealand's Elvis Presley, and his cover of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". The 1960s saw Max Merritt and the Meteors and Ray Columbus & the Invaders achieve success. In the 1970s and early 1980s the innovative Split Enz had success internationally as well as nationally, with member Neil Finn later continuing with Crowded House. Other influential bands in the 1970s were Th' Dudes, Dragon and Hello Sailor. The early 1980s saw the development of the indie rock "Dunedin sound", typified by Dunedin bands such as The Clean, Straitjacket Fits, and The Chills, recorded by the Flying Nun record label of Christchurch.
1950s
Rock music began in New Zealand in 1955 when Wellington-based country singer Johnny Cooper (popularly known as the "Maori cowboy") recorded a cover version of American Bill Haley’s hit song "Rock Around the Clock" for HMV, the first rock and roll record recorded outside the United States. In 1956, Cooper wrote and recorded an original song called "Pie Cart Rock and Roll". The song referred to a pie cart that he visited while managing talent shows in Whanganui. The song is believed to be New Zealand's first indigenous rock and roll recording, although "Resuscitation rock", written by Wellington teenager Sandy Tansley in March 1957, may have been released a few weeks earlier than Cooper's song. Singer Johnny Devlin was touted as New Zealand's Elvis Presley and his cover of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" remains one of New Zealand's biggest-selling singles, having sold 100,000 copies in 1959–60. In 1959, Mabel Howard, Minister of Social Welfare, went to see Johnny Devlin perform at the Christchurch Town Hall, declaring at half-time, "There’s nothing much wrong with rock and roll". New Zealand's studios lagged behind their counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere and 1950s recording stars The Tumbleweeds recorded six of their hit albums in the living room of one of their band members.
1960s
New Zealand radio's conservative programming approach was increasingly challenged by young people in the 1960s. Radio Hauraki initially began life as a pirate radio station, broadcasting in international waters offshore from Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf, a deliberate move that allowed them to circumnavigate restrictive broadcasting legislation and broadcast their own playlist. This in part spearheaded the way for the gradual deregulation of the radio industry. Towards the end of the 1960s radio stations like Radio Hauraki, and later Radio I, were playing exclusively rock and pop music to a teenage and young adult audience.
1970s
In contrast to the 1960s, relatively few New Zealand groups released records. In 1976, six million records were sold, with only seven singles and four albums from local performers reaching the Top 50. The following year eight singles and three albums charted, but overall record sales dropped to five and a half million.
Some of the more influential rock bands in the 1970s were Th' Dudes (whose guitarist Dave Dobbyn formed DD Smash in the 1980s), Dragon, Hello Sailor and Split Enz, fronted by Tim Finn, and later, his brother Neil Finn who went on to form Crowded House.
The first punk rock bands – including the Suburban Reptiles and the Scavengers – formed in Auckland in the late 1970s and were soon followed by groups in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin. AK79, a compilation album featuring Auckland punk bands, was issued in late 1979.
The Redwood 70 music festival, held six months after Woodstock in 1970, was cautiously sub-titled New Zealand's first national music convention. Held at Redwood Park in Swanson in Auckland's far west, the festival was organised by Auckland promoter Phil Warren. Redwood 70's headline act was a newly solo Robin Gibb, backed by a string quartet. The New Zealand groups who made up the bulk of the two-day festival's entertainment were less mainstream than Gibb and played rock music. Though over 9000 fans attended, the festival lost money, a pattern that has continued in New Zealand in regard to multi-day outdoor festivals in this country. There were smaller festivals in 1971 – the Englefield Rock Festival at Belfast near Christchurch, another at Waikanae over Easter weekend, and the University Arts Council's Jam Factory in July.
Split Enz, Th’ Dudes, Dragon, and Hello Sailor continued to gain chart success in New Zealand and other parts of the world. Ex-members of Split Enz then went on to form Crowded House, one of New Zealand's most successful bands. Phil Judd, another ex-Split Enz member, formed The Swingers who released "Counting the Beat" in 1981. Also successful locally in the 1990s were bands The Feelers, Zed, Head Like A Hole, Dead Flowers and Evermore. Auckland singer/songwriter Darcy Clay was critically lauded in 1997 for his Number 5 hit "Jesus I Was Evil".The skate punk scene also brought out bands like Muckhole, Brubeck and Kitch who often supported overseas acts like Pennywise and played at the Van's Warped Tour in New Zealand. Blindspott formed in West Auckland in 1997 was one of the pioneers in the nu metal genre and has recently reunited with live performances.
2000s
In the 2000s, New Zealand indie bands continued to be successful, with bands like The Naked and Famous, Die! Die! Die! and The Mint Chicks releasing successful recordings. The members of The Mint Chicks went on to form Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Opossum. Indie band The Phoenix Foundation and artist Liam Finn, the son of Neil Finn, found success in New Zealand.
Singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore (folk/blues rock) won the US-based International Songwriting Competition in 2004, launching a successful national and international career. Each of her albums have reached number 1 in New Zealand, and her songs have regularly been synched for advertising.
City of Souls was formed in August 2015 by guitarists Trajan Schwencke and Steve Boag, soon joined by vocalist Richie Simpson. City of Souls went on to win the Aotearoa Music awards for best rock album Synaesthesia in 2020.
Formed in 2010, Alien Weaponry rose to be New Zealand's most successful rock act following the release of their debut album Tū in 2018. This led to European and American tours with shows at some of the world's biggest heavy metal festivals.
See also
- Psychedelic rock in Australia and New Zealand