Hello Sailor's time in the sun saw them spending time in Ponsonby, LA and Sydney, becoming a legendary live act, and releasing an iconic debut album. This collection features documentary Sailor's Voyage, founder member Harry Lyon's account of the birth of the band, and tracks from Hello Sailor, both together and apart. Some of the solo songs were incorporated into the group's live set after they reunited. Included are 'Blue Lady', 'New Tattoo' and 'Gutter Black’, later reborn on TV's Outrageous Fortune.

This collection rounds up almost every music video for a number one hit by a Kiwi artist; everything from ballads to hip hop to glam rock. Press on the images below to find the hits for each decade  — plus try this backgrounder by Michael Higgins, whose high speed history of local hits touches on the sometimes questionable ways past charts were created.  

Recorded after their new label Mushroom Records Australia demanded ballads, 'Last Night In The City' is a moment of a departure from the hard rock that Knightshade were known for. But the song proved to be their biggest hit, clawing its way to number nine on the New Zealand singles chart in December 1989. The video has the band playing in a moodily-lit recording studio and features a double neck guitar à la Jimmy Page, a mystery woman, and lead singer Wayne Elliott lamenting lost love. The song was produced by American recording veteran Jim Faraci (Ratt, Poison). 

Sixties teen sensation Allison Durbin featured on an episode of this early music show, shortly after her version of 'I Have Loved Me a Man' topped the Kiwi charts. Durbin sings ballad 'Looking Through a Tear', before swapping the dress, probably reluctantly, for a polka-dot pantaloon ensemble. As she sings the hip-swinging 'Eso Besso' (That Kiss), a small group of pseudo-Mexicans attempt to show a sombrero can make a viable dance prop. Durbin relocated to Melbourne around the time this was shot, where she would be triple crowned 'Queen of Pop'.

Sixties talent show Have A Shot began as an Ian Watkins radio slot on 1ZB. The popular TV version began in Auckland in 1961, and expanded to include competitors in Wellington and Christchurch the following year. This final from 1964 sees eight regional winners compete for £300, by performing two prerecorded songs each. The judges are 200 voters from the four main centres. The listening is easy, across genres ranging from folk songs to country ballads. The host is radio veteran John Maybury. Note: the winner is not revealed. Have a Shot was replaced by New Faces in 1965.

This 1976 concert sees Kiwi entertainment great John Rowles bring his cabaret show to His Majesty's Theatre in Auckland. Back from a hotel residency in Hawaii, Rowles belts out the ballads in his booming baritone. Tanned, in pastel blue flares, wide lapels, and plenty of bling, Rowles (here nearly 30) croons about wahine from Mandy to Sweet Caroline, to his iconic "island sweetheart" Cheryl Moana Marie. Memorable moments include tributes to Norman Kirk and singer Inia Te Wiata, a haka with Dave from Palmerston North, and a rousing finish with 'Mr Bojangles'.

Directed by dancer turned choreographer Shona McCullagh, this music video features sun-kissed close-ups of singer Don McGlashan, and evocative images of a lone dancer (Rachel Atkinson) floating above an empty road. The ballad marks a rare solo single for McGlashan that was composed by somebody else: Sean James Donnelly (aka SJD). The song featured on McGlashan's first solo album Warm Hand (2006). It was later included on the soundtracks of Kiwi feature films Out of the Blue and The Tattooist, and an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 remake 90210.

Opening with an image of Orpheus floating on the water, this inspired doco climaxes with a contender for NZ's most eyeopening montage yet. Loaded with examples of the infinite ways the human voice can make music, the film sees host Julian Waring introducing choirs, opera, balladeers and protest singers. Along the way Michael Heath recreates a performance by Florence Foster Jenkins, a worryingly close cousin of Asian-New Zealand songbird Wing. The mash-up finale uses 2000 photographs to summarise two decades of music, in a scene that must have blown minds in the suburbs. 

Fuelled by enthusiasm more than cash, Newton Salad debuted on Wellington station Channel 7 in November 1999. In the first episode, Dempsey Woodley described the show as a mix of talkback and comedy. Alongside viewers' calls, hosts Woodley and Amanda Hanan introduced sketches and guests — including Flight of the Conchords, Pinky Agnew (as Jenny Shipley) and Gentiane Lupi (Helen Clark's hairdresser). After two months of live weekly shows, Newtown Salad returned for five nights in May 2000 showcasing acts from TV2's International Laugh Festival.

Kawerau-raised John Rowles was inspired to become a singer after witnessing Māori showbands like The Howard Morrison Quartet. Following varied musical ventures in Australia, he was invited to England by manager Peter Gormley, to join Gormley's roster of ballad singers like Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones. Ballad 'If I Only had Time' got to three on the UK charts in 1968; fourth single 'M'Lady' did best in Aotearoa. In the 1970s Rowles became a nightclub fixture in Honolulu and Las Vegas, punctuated by occasional Kiwi hits and tours. By the 80s he was living in Australia. His autobiography landed in 2012.