[4] Other winners include Phillip Rhodes, Jonathan Lemalu and Sol3 Mio's Amitai Pati.

1324 entries were made, with contestants recording a song at their local BCNZ radio station.

[7] Originally the quest featured contestants who performed songs in a variety of styles, such as country and western, pop and classical.

[3] Only more recently has the contest been primarily for opera singers, with the influence of Auckland opera singing teacher Dame Sister Mary Leo and the success of her students helping to shape the contest into a more prestigious singing competition.

[4] From its beginning, the Song Quest was sponsored and run by Mobil Oil New Zealand.