New Zealand top 50 singles of 1988

This is a list of the top 50 singles in New Zealand of 1988 as compiled by Recorded Music NZ in the end-of-year chart of the Official New Zealand Music Chart. Six singles by New Zealand artists are included on the chart, the highest being the Holidaymakers' debut single "Sweet Lovers" at No. 1.

Chart

Key

 †  – Single of New Zealand origin

Rank	Artist	Title
1	Holidaymakers	"Sweet Lovers" †
2	U2	"One Tree Hill"
3	U2	"Desire"
4	MARRS	"Pump Up the Volume"
5	Billy Ocean	"Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car"
6	Tex Pistol & Rikki Morris	"Nobody Else" †
7	Ardijah	"Watchin' U" †
8	Times Two	"Cecilia"
9	Belinda Carlisle	"Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
10	The Timelords	"Doctorin' the Tardis"
11	New Order	"Blue Monday 1988"
12	Big Pig	"Breakaway"
13	Aswad	"Don't Turn Around"
14	Eddy Grant	"Gimme Hope Jo'anna"
15	Rick Astley	"Never Gonna Give You Up"
16	Guns N' Roses	"Sweet Child o' Mine"
17	Bobby McFerrin	"Don't Worry, Be Happy"
18	Natalie Cole	"Pink Cadillac"
19	Yazz and The Plastic Population	"The Only Way Is Up"
20	Crowded House	"Better Be Home Soon" †
21	Kylie Minogue	"Got to Be Certain"
22	Prince	"Alphabet St."
23	Pet Shop Boys	"Heart"
24	Bros	"Drop the Boy"
25	Def Leppard	"Love Bites"
26	Tiffany	"I Think We're Alone Now"
27	Kylie Minogue	"I Should Be So Lucky"
28	Tiffany	"Could've Been"
29	Fairground Attraction	"Perfect"
30	Eric B. & Rakim	"Paid in Full"
31	Phil Collins	"A Groovy Kind of Love"
32	When the Cat's Away	"Melting Pot" †
33	Suave	"My Girl"
34	Def Leppard	"Armageddon It"
35	Bon Jovi	"Bad Medicine"
36	Ben Liebrand	"Stuck on Earth"
37	Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes	"(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
38	Wet Wet Wet	"Sweet Little Mystery"
39	Hothouse Flowers	"Don't Go"
40	Jerry Harrison	"Rev It Up"
41	John Farnham	"Age of Reason"
42	Salt-N-Pepa	"Push It"
43	UB40 ft. Chrissie Hynde	"Breakfast in Bed"
44	The Fat Boys	"The Twist"
45	The Fan Club	"Sensation" †
46	INXS	"Devil Inside"
47	T'Pau	"China in Your Hand"
48	The Robert Cray Band	"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"
49	"Weird Al" Yankovic	"Fat"
50	Taylor Dayne	"Tell It to My Heart"