Ed O'Brien of Radiohead has hailed Finn as popular music's "most prolific writer of great songs".

[2] Finn joined Split Enz in 1977 after the departure of founding member Phil Judd and facilitated the band's shift away from art rock towards new wave pop.

Crowded House achieved international success in 1987 when they released the single "Don't Dream It's Over", written by Finn.

In April 2018, Finn joined Fleetwood Mac for their tour that year and was a member of the band until they disbanded in 2022.

Finn has also recorded several successful solo albums, assembled diverse musicians for the 7 Worlds Collide project, and contributed to several film and television soundtracks.

[3][4] His mother, a devout Catholic who moved to New Zealand from Ireland at the age of two, maintained a religious influence over the family.

"[6] His father, the son of a farmer from Waikato, served in the army in Italy and became an accountant during World War II.

"[9] He idolised his brother and wished to imitate his actions, learning to play guitar and piano at the same time Tim did.

[10] Tim was more public about his musical aspirations, and won ten shillings in his annual talent contest at school shortly after enrolling.

Not long after the band's debut performance, Finn's brother Tim invited him to join Split Enz in London, replacing original singer-songwriter Phil Judd.

Both Neil and his brother Tim were appointed as Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music in the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Finn appeared as part of the BBC Four's Songwriters' Circle series in 1999, and explained that "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Better Be Home Soon" were both written quickly, with all of the elements of each song—such as lyrics and verses—emerging at the same time.

[16] Finn penned a theme song for the All Blacks' participation in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, "Can You Hear Us?

In 2001, Finn released a live album/DVD (7 Worlds Collide) consisting of songs recorded at St James Theatre in Auckland with several other artists.

In January 2007, Crowded House reformed with Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart, and new drummer Matt Sherrod, as Paul Hester had died in 2005.

[22] Finn's solo album, Dizzy Heights, was released in Australia and New Zealand on 7 February 2014 via Kobalt Label Services.

[24] On 15 April 2018, Fleetwood Mac announced that Finn had joined the band along with Heartbreakers' lead guitarist Mike Campbell.

[28] In 1986, Finn performed with The Rock Party, a charity project initiated by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) that included many Australasian musicians such as Reg Mombassa from Mental As Anything, Tim Finn, and Nick Seymour and Paul Hester of Crowded House.

[29] In December 2008, several of the 7 Worlds Collide lineup reconvened in Auckland, New Zealand to record The Sun Came Out, a charity album for Oxfam.