New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers

History

Barbershop quartet singing has been around in New Zealand for many years although little is recorded of actual performances or personnel. Mostly they were one-off events or performing quartets with little contact with each other.

In 1979 the Merry Macs, a visiting male quartet from Hawaii, sang to an entranced audience in Auckland. This led to the formation, by Ken Redwood, of a singing group which became known as the MoTAT Chorus recognising that the singers met at the Museum of Transport and Technology. Now called The City of Sails Chorus it has won the gold medal for a lot of the years since the inception of the NZABS chorus competition in 1992.

Barbershop Harmony New Zealand (BHNZ), formally known as the New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers, was established in the early eighties but did not function as an association until the Harbour Capital Chorus was formed in Wellington in February 1988 followed by the Canterbury Plainsmen, based in Christchurch, in 1989.

During this period the number of quartets continued to grow and in 1989 the inaugural NZABS Convention was held in Wellington for quartet competitions only.

Other chapters have been established in Hamilton, Tauranga, Timaru, Napier, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Nelson, Dunedin and Invercargill. Groups in Rotorua, Levin, Whangarei and another chorus in Wellington are currently not in operation. Auckland has it's second Chapter "Pride of Auckland" and a new chapter "Western Peak Harmony" is now in New Plymouth.

The NZABS is affiliated to the Barbershop Harmony Society. It has had a long youth focus which has had successes like choruses Vocal FX and Pacific Connection going to international conventions, and regular entries in the Next Generation Varsity Contest. Musical Island Boys was supported by BHNZ throughout its development as a Collegiate quartet, becoming International Collegiate champions in 2006, and then becoming BHS International Quartet Champions in 2014.

Barbershop visitors to New Zealand are assured of a warm and familiar welcome. The New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers is doing its best to "keep the whole world singing".