The New Zealand Hit Parade started appearing in NZ Listener on 25 March 1966. It was a Top 20 and initially based on points until 1970 from NZ Listener readers.

I will add one chart per day as I am able to...

This Week	March 25, 1966
1	A Must To Avoid - Herman's Hermits
2	Sounds Of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
3	The Carnival Is Over - The Seekers
4	Princess In Rags - Gene Pitney
5	Over And Over - Dave Clark Five
6	Wind Me Up (Let Me Go) - Cliff Richard
7	Take Me For What I'm Worth - The Searchers
8	Keep On Running - Spencer David Group
9	We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
10	Just Like Me - Paul Revere and the Raiders
11	Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers
12	It's My Life - The Animals
13	Don't Make My Baby Blue - The Shadows
14	Sing C'est La Vie - Sonny and Cher
15	How Can You Tell - Sandie Shaw
16	Here It Comes Again - The Fortunes
17	These Boots Are Made For Walking - Nancy Sinatra
18	Michelle - The Beatles
19	19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones
20	England Swings - Roger Miller

Last edited:

I'm loving this already....awesome Tempest

thanks for sharing the post

Based on points, here is the NZ Hit Parade Top Songs of 1966

1	Homeward Bound - Simon and Garfunkel
2	The Coming Generation - The Gremlins
3	Paperback Writer - The Beatles
4	Sweet Pea - Tommy Roe
5	Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
6	Five O'Clock World - The Vogues
7	Michelle - The Beatles
8	The Pied Piper - Crispian St Peters
9	Pretty Flamingo - Manfred Mann
10	With A Girl Like You - The Troggs
11	I Am A Rock - Simon and Garfunkel
12	Wild Thing - The Troggs
13	Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
14	Rain - The Beatles
15	Dedicated Follower Of Fashion - The Kinks
16	Lady Godiver - Peter and Gordon
17	Sunshine Superman - Donovan
18	Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones
19	Daydream - The Lovin Spoonful
20	Substitute - The Who

Last edited:

I will begin posting the 1967 chart in February. Have a great Christmas

Thanks Tempest, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this...

My fav decade in music...with so many songs listed on these charts that I absolutely love

Great work...I am so looking forward too next Feb for 1967

Well done Tempest, I've waiting for someone to print some of the early N.Z. charts, look forward to seeing more in 2014.
Have a Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year.

Regards John.

Thanx John and album guru joe. My goal is to post every chart up to 1975 when the current chart started. I also have charts dating back to 1960 although there are some large gaps in 1960 and 1965. These charts have gone missing but I am still hopeful they will be found.
Have a great Christmas yourself. The Top 100 of 2013 based on points is also now posted.
Last edited:

The 1967 chart follows. Look for 1967 Chart forum

Hi - Loving these charts

On October 14, 1966 you have two entries for I Need You - Ray Columbus.

Thanks!

I don't know how that happened but thanx for pointing that out - there are bound to be a few mistakes. I've fixed it.

I will continue to post the NZ Listener charts up until May 1975 when they finished.

This is fantastic, Tempest. I've been studying the singles charts for most of my life and now have access to every chart since they started being produced regularly in March 1966. Other sources have been Dean Scapolo's work and a site called Flavour of NZ. There were a couple of charts before your records....
11/3/66:
1 A Must to Avoid
2 Flowers on the Wall
3 The Sounds of Silence
4 The Carnival is Over
5 Keep on Running
6 Just Like Me
7 Princess in Rags
8 We Can Work it Out
9 Over and Over
10 Wind Me Up
11 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Leroy Van Dyke)
12 Don't Make My Baby Blue
13 How Can You Tell
14 It's My Life
15 The Duck (Jackie Lee)
16 Green is the Grass (Jonathan King)
17 England Swings
18 Sing C'est La Vie
19 Here it Comes Again
20 Take Me For What I'm Worth
18/3/66:
1 A Must to Avoid
2 The Carnival is Over
3 Over and Over
4 Keep on Running
5 Flowers on the Wall
6 The Sounds of Silence
7 Wind Me Up
8 Just Like Me
9 19th Nervous Breakdown
10 Take Me For What I'm Worth
11 To Whom it Concerns
12 How Can You Tell
13 Maria
14 We Can Work it Out
15 Don't Make My Baby Blue
16 Second Hand Rose
17 Here it Comes Again
18 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
19 Let Me Be
20 Princess in Rags

Thank you Dennis Richard Wells. I'm aware of two other charts prior to 1966 but they are a bit disjointed. Check out my entries from 1960 to 1965 as well.
Once again, if anyone knows of any charts to fill in the gaps, please let me know. New Zealand charts went back to 1946 but most of the early ones are missing.

The two charts you have there are from 2ZB (Wellington) top 20.

I would never have been exposed to some of these songs if not for 2ZB. PJ Proby and Sandi Shaw were not played on USA radio. Songs like "I'm Alive" by the Hollies was unknown there and don't get me started about The Pretty Things. Although I missed the USA Top 40 radio for 16 months, I wouldn't trade my year and a half living in Blenheim in 1965 &1966 for anything. NZ was and still is a great place.