NEW ZEALAND ROCK FESTIVALS..Documenting/a half arsed history

A potted history of NZ Rock Festivals...these are the Outdoor things, not the 5/10 bands in a hall/bar somewhere

Apparently the first one ever was at Red Beach in the Auckland area. 1970 was the year.

In 1974 The Great Rock Festival had Black Sabbath, Fairport Convention The La De Das, Split Enz,  Corben Simpson and others. Black Sabbath had a massive flaming upside down cross on the hill opposite the stage as they started their set. This was in Ngaruawahia. . This one is well documented

Sweetwaters a number of years and has been well documented

Nambassa a number of years , again well documented

Hinuera In the Waikato late 1970s Toy Love, Sheerlux , Lip Service and more

Pakiri was another one. Organised by Gireesh. a Canadian band called Rymes With Orange

Shihad, Head Like A Hole, Sticky Filth then part two Chris Knox, Loves Ugly Children

some details here from Shihad site   https://www.shihadwiki.com/wiki/Gig_19951231

Meltdown Palmerston  North The Dammed, The Johnnies, The Remarkables, The Stranglers, Three Leaning Men,Peter Shepherd

Kickstart New Plymouth Bowl of Brooklands with  D4, Tadpole, Goodshirt a one time only thing.

This happened a year too early. Ten months later all of these bands were big news in NZ and in the D4's case the world. Being visionaries does not pay the bills.

BDO. well documented everywhere

The other one Auckland ..biker organised Exponents etc no people late 1970s/early 1980s?.

Nile River a number of years ..last one 1996???

Rippon..down south

New Plymouth Turi Street Reserve , a free event on a Sunday in the 1970s  Crystal Galleon etc.

Once only I think

Waitara.. Pukekohe Domain..wish I knew the name of this Festival. This would have been 1971/1972

witnessed 3 bands here before it was called off. 

One was called Gypsy, Quincy Conserve were stopped while on their 1st song. That was that, all over. I was one of about 10 people in the audience. Walked back to downtown Waitara and caught the bus back home to New Plymouth. I have a feeling that the Promoter in this case was the guy behind a wonderful run of gigs at St Josephs Hall in New Plymouth in the early 1970s

East End free event mid /late 1980s/early 1990s The Nod, etc

Okoki River Festival, the dreamers fest in North Taranaki and many more "I'm gonna start a festival type " projects that never got of the ground.  This planned Festival was a one man with a lot of pot project telling anyone who would listen about his plans. He promoted it with a drawing on a a6 flyer with a map of the Okoki area and a request that you buy tickets, that's it. He was part of the Taranaki Unemployed Workers Rights Group who had a base in Hookers Building on King Street, New Plymouth. These guys did some good things.

This is mid /late 1980s/early 1990s

You gotta love ambition.  

The Taranaki small festival things are there because I live here and remember them happening or not happening as the case may be.

They are not the be all and end all of anything but it's important that these things are documented

There have been a heap more all over the country including a lot of crash 'n' burn events also. 

National Library of New Zealand has some sort of page that covers this stuff now as somebody there realised it should be documented and there are clicks and likes to be had and $$$ to be made with books, docos etc.

That is actually all good and fine but I'm hoping the small,  under promoted, under attended events get documented for their ambition and commitment.  Not just the big shiny events that nostalgia buffs keep talking about.  

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/rock-music-festivals-1970-2010 is the place to go to overload them with names of events, dates, artists , bands, promoters etc. Preserve your local festival history before the memory fades

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/contact/feedback 

help them get it correct

updated today 30 Dec 2025