Mate, can you believe it’s already that time of the year again? The Rock 2000 is back, where rock lovers from far and wide come together, take over The Rock’s playlist for a month, and crown the #1 song for the year.
We’re farkin’ amped for another Rock 2000 Countdown. Whether you’re a hardcore rock fanatic, a switch-the-station-over-for-the-month kinda person, or a complete Rock 2000 virgin, we’ve got you. Here’s everything you need to know about New Zealand’s hugest rock countdown.
So, what is The Rock 2000?
The Rock 2000 isn’t just some shitty old radio countdown your dad bangs on about. Nah, this bad boy is the rock ‘n roll Superbowl - the holy grail if you will - of shredding guitars and face-melting riffs.
Simply put, you vote for up to 20 of your rock tracks, we put them into a month-long radio playlist, and together, we count them down one by one ‘til we hit the glorious #1 song. All while cracking some cold ones, talking a bitta smack, and celebrating the loudest and proudest music on the planet.
For over 25 years, you legends - the loyal, loud, and slightly unhinged army of rock devotees - have been putting your blood, sweat, beers, and brain cells into picking up to 20 of your all-time favourite bangers, so we can deliver you the biggest bloody rock countdown on the planet.
And it’s all cheers to Tradestaff - If your business needs workers, Tradestaff has short and long term people ready now.
When is The Rock 2000 on in 2025?
Voting opens: Monday August 4th, 9:00am
Voting closes: Sunday August 24th, 11:59pm
Building the countdown: Monday August 25 - Sunday August 31st
Rock 2000 Begins: Monday September 1, 8:00am
Rock 2000 crowns #1: Friday September 26, 7:00pm
The Rock 2000 Live Event: Friday September 26 from 3:00pm
The Rock 2000 Rova Replay: Saturday September 27
How Does Voting Work?
Voting officially kicks off Monday August 4th at 9:00am.
You’ll be able to trawl through our webpage and choose from thousands of songs on the list. You can search songs by artist or song title - and if any of your favourites aren’t in the list - you have the option of adding them in - simple.
A Few Rules… You can’t vote for the same song 20 times - you can try - but it will only register as one song. Votes are sacred, so don’t waste them.
And in the wise words of Brad The Rock Boss: “Don’t take the piss - if you vote for Crazy Frog or some other piece of shit non Rock track - it won’t be counted.”
Brad the Boss’s final decision on that.
What about The Rock 2000 Live Event?
Every year, we round off the countdown with a huge celebration at Auckland’s Spark Arena, which sees thousands of you join us to get a bit silly as we count down to the #1 song.
This year it’s all going down Friday September 26th, with doors opening at 3pm.
Here’s how it goes: The Rock Drive’s Jay and Dunc will take you through the Top 20 Live Ceremony, before the winning song for 2025 is crowned. Then, we rip into some epic live performances.
New Zealand Rock icons Blindspott will be performing their triple platinum self titled debut album in full with a 30 piece philharmonic orchestra this year - fuck yeah. Plus, more big names are still to be announced, so watch this space…
We’ll be honest with ya, we bleed for this event. Months of planning, late nights, loud music, and louder opinions. But it’s all worth it when the lights go up and thousands of you legends are screaming every lyric back at us from #20 all the way to #1.
Last year, we lit up the freakin’ SkyTower with #1 song ‘Foo Fighters Everlong’ - that’s how deep this runs.
Rock 2000 Live is our Bogan’s Christmas, a love letter of sorts to the fans, the bands, and the chaos that is rock music. This year, the Live Event is all cheers to Jack Daniel’s.
Tickets for The Rock 2000 Live Event are on sale now.
How do I listen to The Rock 2000?
It’s easy as to listen. Whether you’re annoying your colleagues at work, tuning in on the road, or simply blaring it from the backyard, there’s a few ways to listen.
On the radio: Flick your dial to your local frequency. Not sure what yours is? Here’s a list of frequencies we prepared earlier.
Online: You can stream The Rock right here on rova. Simply press play.
Rova: Just download the free rova app from the App Store - it’s available on pretty much every sort of phone (unless you’re still rocking a nokia, in which case we’re assuming you’re probably just listening on the radio.)
There you go - no excuse not to listen now.
Any tips for Rock 2000 first-timers?
If you’re new to The Rock 2000, we’re stoked to have you here. Here’s some advice from The Rock office.
Get your votes in early: If you don’t vote, you can’t complain when your favourite song misses the cut, or places lower than you reckon it should’ve.
Don’t underestimate your votes: 20 votes sounds like a lot, but when you’ve got literally thousands of tunes to choose from, it gets real hard, real fast. You’ll think you’ve got your list sorted, then you’ll remember a Tool song you love or that one Metallica track that changed your life. So choose wisely, and don’t waste a spot on a ‘maybe.’ This is serious business.
Join the conversation: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to get amongst the chat. We’ll be sharing updates the whole way through, and your bound to have some back and forth with other punters in the comments. And on that…
Don’t be a dick: Don’t get us wrong, we LOVE to see the passion, the heartbreak, the bragging rights, the shock upsets, the lot. What we don’t love to see is people being dickheads to others. Sure, have some fun with it, but don’t be that guy that takes it too far.
Plan your day off: Your boss can’t be mad at you for taking annual leave on the final day if you give them some decent notice. Your boss also can’t get mad if you mysteriously get food poisoning on the final day. We don’t make the rules, it’s just the way it is.
Want some fun facts?
In 2025 - Rock lovers from 174 different countries listened via the rova app.
The Rock Countdown is celebrating its 26th anniversary this year
Metallica have the won the title the most - 9 times
The Highest ranking Kiwi song is tied between Devilskin’s Little Pills (#2 in 2014), and Blindspott’s Nil By Mouth (#2 in 2025)
Last year, the most common voter age was 34, and the most common voter names were Mike for the blokes, and Sarah for the girls.
Let’s wrap it up, aye?
The Rock 2000 Countdown is more than just a music countdown, it’s a movement. A month where every vote, every scream, and every power stance matters. It’s where rock fans from around New Zealand and the world unite, argue over rankings, scream “should’ve been higher!” and either love or hate the #1 song.
Remember - it’s your countdown, we just put it together. So when the time comes, wack your votes in, warm up your vocal chords, and get ready for one hell of a month.
Let’s fuckin’ rock.
