The following lists the number one singles on the New Zealand Singles Chart during the 1990s. The source for this decade is the Recorded Music NZ chart, the chart history of which can be found on the Recorded Music NZ website or Charts.nz.[1][2]
A total of 179 singles topped the chart in the 1990s, including 20 by New Zealand artists. Nine artists had three or more number-one singles; the most successful was Mariah Carey, who spent 20 weeks at number one with seven different singles; however, Michael Jackson spent 22 weeks at number one with six different singles. Boyz II Men reached number one four times, and those who peaked atop the chart three times were Boyzone, Blackstreet, Spice Girls, Janet Jackson, U2, and Deep Obsession—the New Zealand act with the most number-one singles during the decade.
Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" spent the most weeks at number one, claiming the number-one position for 14 weeks between December 1992 and March 1993 (this includes a three-week period in which no charts were published due to the Christmas and New Year holiday periods). "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You" by UB40 held the top position for 11 weeks, and the New Zealand act that spent the most weeks at number one during the 1990s was Push Push, who topped the listing for six weeks in 1991 with "Trippin'".
Australian rock band Silverchair peaked at number one on the New Zealand chart for three weeks with "Tomorrow".Rednex, under a different lineup, stayed at number one for six weeks with "Cotton Eye Joe" in March and April 1995."Waterfalls" in 1995 in "No Scrubs" in 1999 were both number-one hits for American girl group TLC .Jamaican musician Shaggy attained his first and sole number-one single in New Zealand with "Boombastic", which reached number one for two nonconsecutive weeks.American rapper Coolio topped the New Zealand Singles Chart for nine weeks with "Gangsta's Paradise"; it was the third longest-running chart-topper during the 1990s in New Zealand.
No Doubt's "Don't Speak" peaked at the summit of the New Zealand chart for three weeks."Lovefool" by Swedish band the Cardigans remained at number one for two weeks in March 1997.Despite not topping the New Zealand chart as a solo artist, Missy Elliott reached number one as a featured artist on two occasions: once with MC Lyte and another with SWV.Danish band Aqua reached number one in New Zealand with their worldwide smash, "Barbie Girl".Elton John held the number-one position for six weeks with "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight", New Zealand's most successful song of 1997.
While some artists made appearances in other artists songs, these songs were not included in their groups tally. This includes, Robin and Ali Campbell featuring in Pato Banton's single, "Baby Come Back" as they were featured together, not as part of UB40.
*Some artists who had solo number-one singles (or was a featured artist in a number-one single) and who were also part of a group that had number-one single(s) have been classed as separate entries. This includes Che Fu, who had one solo number-one and featured in another number-one single, and Supergroove, who had one a number-one single prior to Che Fu leaving the group, as well as Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, who both had a solo number one single, and the Fugees, which had two number-one singles prior to the release of their solo singles.