The inimitable Kath Tait was also a NZ icon before fleeing to London. Here's one of her best:

THE RIVER OF LIFE
(Kath Tait)

She was born in a middle-class town
She could have gone up, she could have gone down
But she just went around and around
On a downward spiral
One morning so fair and fine
She stole away while the moon did shine
Strayed on down the wayward line
Southwards of survival

(Chorus)
She could have been a lady
She could have been a wife
But she fell into the river of life
Swimming in a pool of trouble and strife
She really loved the danger
But the river of life it rolls and flows
Down by the banks where the brambles grow
Swimming around in trouble and strife
Way down low in the river of life

Over hills of thorns and valleys of scorn
Rambling like she was gypsy born
Travelling on through weather and storm
Without a thought for danger
But she was young and looking for fun
And dreaming of things she'd never done
So lost in sweet oblivion
She welcomed in the stranger

But the stranger he was a wanton rake
For he took her money and he called her a fake
And he shook her around like an old earthquake
And left her there for plunder
Now a heart gone down might never be found
Might lie in the dirt and roll around
But she was always on the rebound
And she never would go under

Chorus

Now the woman of character wins in the end
The river of life will be your friend
Not frail of heart, but a true upstart
The river of life has made her
And like a flood she did surely rise
High as the hills and the clear blue skies
She never was a lady but she was wise
And nothing much would change her

Chorus

Lin Van Hek and Joe Dolce did a beaut rendition for their 'Difficult Women' project.

Youtube clip

Kath Tait has been described as ‘the diva of the dysfunctional’. She departed New Zealand to live in London. The 'Waikato Times' noted:

It was inevitable she left New Zealand, having insulted most of her family and friends in her songs. Behind the cheerful guitar and sweet voice lie lyrics of barbed wire. The ironies of modern life are her inspiration, the contrast in her disarming delivery and often explicit words, is her charm.

--Stewie