Country music was a perfect fit for New Zealand when it arrived in the late 1920s. The population was more rural than metropolitan and working on farms was more common than working in factories. Despite New Zealand’s physical isolation, efficient shipping meant people could keep up with musical innovations from Britain and the United States. 

New Zealand country music emerged from the mass media arriving from the United States in the late 1920s: records, radio, and films with sound. This music was borrowed, blue and lonesome, and support for it has never wavered. Expectations increased that material should be original and reflect its local environment. But the themes are universal, and the ambitions of the artists have become increasingly global.

The AudioCulture Country Music Collection traces the history of country music in New Zealand from the 1920s to the 2020s. Most of the articles were written by musician Glen Moffatt, who grew up in Napier immersed in country music. His song ‘Somewhere in New Zealand Tonight’ shows how musicians became confident in singing about New Zealand, with a local accent. A borrowed genre has evolved into original, regional self-expression.