NZ's all-time favourite classic Kiwi album revealed

New Zealand music fans' all-time favourite classic Kiwi album has been revealed.

And it's Split Enz's 1980 True Colours album.

To celebrate its 10th birthday, the publicly-funded New Zealand music website Audioculture invited its readers to select their favourite classic Kiwi album, and well over 3000 joined the poll, conducted over New Zealand Music Month.

Out of more than 400 albums selected True Colours came out on top, much to the delight of Split Enz frontman and songwriter Tim Finn.

"It's amazing, it's a great day for the Enz," he told 1News.

He says the songs continue to resonate with audiences and he still plays numbers like Shark Attack, Poor Boy and I Hope I Never, to this day.

"You know it was a perfect meeting of the band and New Zealand's history, and it's impossible to say what that is. But something did happen, and it made that album special for people and so playing the songs live was just a joyous celebration."

He adds that the album's iconic cover art, offered in a variety of colour combinations, is also part of its enduring appeal.

"It's beautiful. And (artist and band member) Noel Crombie got it exactly right at that moment."

Chris Bourke from the Audioculture website agrees. "If you did a vox pop on the street and asked what kind of music do you like, people actually used to say, 'anything but New Zealand music'. That just doesn't happen now, and True Colours is part of that story, and part of that change."

He said the album's selection of catchy pop songs moved Split Enz into the mainstream of music, and those songs continue to be played on radio.

"Forty-three years on," he says, "We've got several generations who have been listening to this record: the people there at the time, their sons and daughters, and now their grandchildren."

Tim Finn will tour Australia and New Zealand in the coming months and says songs from True Colours will be on his setlist.

Rounding out the top five of the Audioculture poll were Fat Freddy's Drop with their 2005 album Based On A True Story, followed by Split Enz again with Mental Notes from 1975.

In fourth place was the compilation of local punk rock songs from 1979 called AK79, and fifth place went to Hello Sailor's self titled album from 1977.