The following lists the number-one singles on the New Zealand Singles Chart during the 1980s. 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 150 singles topped the chart in the 1980s, including 20 by New Zealand artists. Three artists had three or more number-one singles; the most successful was U2, who spent 19 weeks at number one with five different singles. UB40 and Stevie Wonder reached number one three times, and two New Zealand acts topped the chart more than once this decade: Jon Stevens and Tex Pistol.

Two songs spent nine weeks at number one during the 1980s. The first was "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" by French pop duo Ottawan in 1981, and the second was "Sailing Away" by New Zealand supergroup All of Us in 1986. Not counting Jon Stevens' "Jezebel", which reached number one in 1979, four singles topped the chart for eight weeks this decade: "Shaddap You Face" by Joe Dolce Music Theatre, "How Great Thou Art" by Howard Morrison, "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder, and "Slice of Heaven" by Dave Dobbyn and Herbs.

Key

 *  – Number-one single of the year^{[nb 1]}

 †  – Song of New Zealand origin^{[nb 2]}

 ‡  – Number-one single of the year, of New Zealand origin

Note: The highest-selling single of New Zealand in 1983 was New Order's "Blue Monday", which peaked at number two for two weeks behind Michael Jackson's "Beat It".^[62][63]

Excluded statistics

• Artists who appeared in the charity songs of the 1980s, including Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and USA for Africa's "We Are the World", which were both number-one singles, are not included in the individual tallies.

Key

 †  – Song of New Zealand origin^{[nb 2]}

• Music of New Zealand
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
• List of Billboard number-one singles
• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s