The original Kount Five in 1967 at Midhurst Hall, Taranaki. L to R: Martin Jordan, Terry Hignett, Peter Webb, John Paki Paki and Joe Hignett.

Cover bands play an important role on the Aotearoa New Zealand music scene. Sometimes great cover bands cross the threshold and become iconic in their own right. Generations still talk about Christchurch’s The Cowboys who were an institution at The Carlton in the late 1970s and 80s, and Wellington’s 1860 Band of the same era. Both included top musicians of the day and played immaculate versions of international hits (and more obscure cuts for the musicians) that pub crowds wanted to drink and dance to. When The Cat’s Away, our most well-known, reunited for sellout shows across the nation in 2024.

Kount Five in 1966. From left: Peter Webb, Martin Jordan, John Paki Paki, Joe Hignett and Terry Hignett.

Taranaki had several popular cover bands in the later 1960s and 70s. They gradually took over from the dance band scene that had filled halls across the region for decades, led by musicians such as Colin King and Errol Taylor. This passing of the entertainment baton reflected the new generation’s desire to party and dance to the rock ’n’ roll, pop and soul music they were hearing on the airwaves. These “showbands” were well established by the time DB and Lion introduced booze barns into the region at the beginning of the 1970s. Things really took off from there.

Kount Five in 1967 at St. Mary's Church (Taranaki Cathedral)

Among these groups, Kount Five Plus Two carved a special place in the entertainment heart of the region (Errol Taylor’s much loved Nevadas was another). Not many people outside of Taranaki have heard of them and their last regular spot was in 1983. But during the first half of 2024, Taranaki's museum and library Puke Ariki ran an exhibition on the band and its 17-year history (also covering the social changes and fashion of the era). The exhibition drew 39,975 visitors: a record attendance, even for Puke Ariki. If that isn’t proof of a cover band becoming entwined with the local culture of a place, I don’t know what is.

Kount Five in 1968. L-R: Terry Hignett, Martin Jordan, John Paki Paki, Peter Webb and Joe Hignett.

Talking to John Paki Paki who was lead vocalist for Kount Five Plus Two (still playing gigs in his late 70s), drummer Grant Campbell, keyboard player Kevin Olsen, and drawing on information compiled for the exhibition by Puke Ariki, we’ve been able to piece together the Kount Fine Plus Two story.

Kount Five Plus Two backing an unidentified singer in 1977.

Firstly: they played a lot. Between 1966 and 1983 the band averaged 100 shows a year, drawing capacity crowds of 400-600 from the early 70s onwards to venues like the Westown and Bell Block in New Plymouth, and the Furlong in Hawera. They also played halls, carnivals, supported touring pop stars and played a set at the 1979 Miss Brooklands Show at The Bowl of Brooklands. When the band finally hung up its set list in 1983 there were still 18 months of gigs booked around the province. Two of the group, Terry Hignett and Marty Jordan, started a new group called Rekount and played them all.

Peter Webb from Kount Five Plus Two on drums on the back of a truck for a New Year’s street gig.

The band started in Stratford in 1966 when school friends Terry Hignett and John Paki Paki joined forces with Pete Webb, Marty Jordan and Terry’s older brother Joe Hignett to form Kount Five. They initially joined Taranaki’s booming dance band scene, playing waltzes, foxtrots and Gay Gordons in halls around the region, before evolving through cabaret, to the later rock ’n’ roll, pop and soul covers set (although they could always pull out a Gay Gordon if the occasion called for it). Bagpipe bands and growing up in houses full of music and singalongs had a lot to do with the band’s beginnings.

Kount Five Battle of the Bands comp ticket, 1969.

The initial lineup:

Terry Hignett (guitar and vocals, 1966-1983)
Terry grew up in a house full of music. His mother and brother both played piano, his father sang, and he remembers always wanting to be an entertainer.

John Paki Paki (vocals, 1966-1983)
John (Nō ngā kāhui o Ngā Ruahine me Taranaki iwi) was inspired to sing by his father, who would often have friends home for a few beers and the guitars and ukeleles would come out. John started playing rhythm guitar but as the band moved away from dance hall numbers to pop covers he stepped into the front person/lead vocalist role. 

Pete Webb (drums, 1966-1979)
Pete grew up playing drums for Stratford’s pipe band. As well as being a great time-keeper he later became known for his commitment to looking after the band’s V6 Ford Transit van.

Marty Jordan (bass, 1966-1983)
Marty also grew up playing in a bagpipe band but later took up guitar. As a young teacher in Stratford he got a call asking if he wanted to join the new Kount Five on bass. He didn’t know the others and had never played a bass but he said yes and never looked back.

Joe Hignett (keyboards, 1966-1977)
Another teenage pipe-band drummer, Joe was a decade older than his brother Terry and an outstanding pianist. When Kount Five started as a dance band his knowledge of the genre helped forge the group into a polished unit.

This Kount Five lineup played the dance halls and had built a name for themselves just as the new cabaret scene was taking hold. Things got busy quickly with several gigs a week plus the need to rehearse new songs.

Kount Five Plus Two with Ray Columbus at the Stratford War Memorial Hall, c 1969. From left, back row: Peter Webb, Joe Hignett, John Paki Paki; centre, Martin Jordan, Ray Columbus, Terry Hignett; front, Jenny and Sharon Whana.

Early on the band was invited to back Ray Columbus on a visit to the region; they went on to play with him several times. Ray suggested they should add female singers and broaden the set more towards pop. It was a good move as most local bands at the time were all male. This led to Jenny and Sharon Whana joining in 1967 and the name evolving to Kount Five Plus Two. The sisters were still teenagers at Stratford High School at the time. 

Jenny Whana (vocals, 1967-1973), Sharon Whana (vocals, 1967-1976)
The Whana sisters (Nō te kāhui o Ngā Ruahine me te iwi o Ngāti Hauā) grew up in Cardiff (Taranaki) singing with their whānau. Their father Ivan played in a band with his brothers and cousins. Their voices and harmony skills helped the move into cabaret which was taking off at the time.

Cabaret shows usually included a sit-down meal followed by an evening of dancing. Kount Five Plus Two’s cabaret stage outfits during this period included matching brown suits for the blokes and evening wear for the women. This lineup gigged regularly through until 1973 by which time the pub scene had taken off. While Terry, John and Marty would remain with the band throughout there were several changes later in the 70s.

Glennis Edwards (vocals, 1974-1982)
Glennis (Nō te kāhui o Te Ātiawa) grew up singing with her sister Beverly, competing in local talent quests. She moved to singing in bands after her sister married, before joining Kount Five Plus Two.

Kevin Olsen (keyboards, 1977-1983)
Kevin and his family had returned to Taranaki from London in 1976. Prior to joining he recorded the band live on a reel-to-reel tape recorder so he could learn the set. With a young family and a farm to run, balancing work, life and music was a challenge but he loved it and was with the group until its final gig.

Chrissy Te Kahu (vocals, 1978-1983)
Chrissie (Nō te iwi o Ngāti Kahungunu) moved to Taranaki from the Hawke’s Bay in her late teens and was singing at the Paritutu Tavern when Glennis and John approached her to join Kount Five Plus Two. She brought a powerful voice that was great for 1970s power ballads and helped extend the band’s repertoire.

Grant Campbell (drums, 1979-1983)
Grant was 17 when he saw the band’s ad in the paper for a new drummer. He snuck into the pub underage to see them, then went home and practised until his audition. Once onboard he had to carry a letter from his parents so he could play in pubs.

Kount Five Plus Two with Ray Columbus, c 1969.

As well as Ray Columbus, the newly rechristened Kount Five Plus Two played as backing band for local pop stars as they came through Taranaki. Among them Suzanne Donaldson, Bunny Walters, Sandy Edmonds and Craig Scott. For one show with Ray Columbus and Craig Scott they performed on a truck trailer in the middle of New Plymouth and crammed the streets with an audience of 7000. “We performed with about twenty TV artists at events across Taranaki over those years,” says John. 

Kount Five Plus Two in 1970. Clockwise: Terry Hignett, Joe Hignett, John Paki Paki and Sharon Whana.

From the late 1960s there was a push by the big breweries to establish hotels and taverns in the sprawling suburban areas of towns and cities across the country. This in turn led to the pub touring circuit and provided ready-made venues for local bands. Known as booze barns, some of these could hold several hundred punters.

Kount Five Plus Two on the road in 1970. From left: Joe Hignett, Peter Webb, Sharon Whana, Glennis Edwards, Terry Hignett, and Martin Jordan.  - John Paki Paki

In New Plymouth the Westown Motor Hotel (500-600 capacity) built by Lion opened in 1971. Just out of town the Bell Block (400 capacity) opened soon after and the Furlong in Hawera catered to South Taranaki’s population.

Kount Five Plus Two was one of the first bands to play at The Bell Block and had a regular gig there during 1972. Charging 50 cents on the door and running competitions where patrons could win anything from a TV to a trip for two to the Gold Coast, they were soon packing the venue.

Kount Five Plus Two with Ray Columbus in 1974.

In 1974 they began a nine-year stint at the Westown doing Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights every third week, with Sunday night being a family smorgasbord show. They also played regularly at The Furlong. These days The Bell Block is the Maida Vale Retirement Village and the Westown is the base for Taranaki’s Tui Ora Trust.

Given the sheer number of gigs, some of the group were earning more from playing than they were in their day jobs. Grant remembers making more playing three nights in the band than he did working 40 hours a week at New Plymouth’s Avery’s Bookshop. 

There were plenty of gigs outside of the pubs and at times the band was booked well over a year in advance. Cabaret shows remained popular through the late 70s. John lists a few: “We did the Te Kuiti Fire Station Cabaret five years in a row, the Whanganui Police Cabaret, even university cabarets in Palmerston North. There were also Chateau Tongariro ski season cabarets. We did those with Ray Columbus and our wives and partners came along.”

The Mardi Gras festival in Devon Street New Plymouth where Kount Five Plus Two performed, 1974.

Others included shows for golf clubs, rugby club anniversaries, young farmers’ events, cycling clubs, weddings and birthdays. Each year they took their families camping at Urenui Beach for the “Muso’s Picnic”. They played the Mardi Gras evening section of the Ōpunake Carnival in 1978 and 1979, bringing their families and surfboards along to camp at the beach, and gathering kai moana as well as performing. They even competed as a team in the televised Top Town competitions held at Rugby Park (now Yarrows Stadium) in 1979 and 1980.

Second line-up of Kount Five Plus Two, 1979. Back row, from left: Terry Hignett, Martin Jordan, Kevin Olsen.
Front row, from left: Glennis Edwards, John Paki Paki, Chrissy TeKahu, Peter Webb.

There are few recordings of Kount Five Plus Two playing live but one featured in the Puke Ariki exhibition was recorded in 1979 when they performed at the Festival of the Pines at the Bowl off Brooklands (home to WOMAD today) during the Miss Brooklands competition. While the event now seems very much of its time, this remained one of the most memorable gigs for some of the band given the venue and the size of the crowd.

Kount Five Plus Two in Westown, New Plymouth, 1982.

Gigs weren’t just limited to Taranaki. The band also travelled for shows outside the region. In 1972 they competed on TVNZ’s New Faces playing The Archies’ ‘Jingle Jangle’ and coming second by only one point to Shona Laing in their heat. In 1973 they played several nights at Porirua’s White Heron. On that trip they backed Deane Waretini on an album recorded at the Tony McCarthy Recordings studio. While there they also put down a single – the band’s only studio recording.

Kount 5 Plus 2 - Anbody There b/w Tomorrow's Child (Tony McCarthy Recordings, 1973)

As a working cover band Kount Five Plus Two’s repertoire reflected the times. An early favourite was a cover of The La De Da’s cover of Bruce Channel’s ‘Hey Baby’. Mungo Jerry’s ‘In the Summertime’ was another crowd pleaser and over the years they played everything from Tom Jones to The Human League.

Kount Five Plus Two keyboards setup, 1978.

The set included many Beatles numbers (the band was proud to have performed ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ before it was released here) and it’s no surprise that ABBA songs featured later on. ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Fernando’ and ‘Money, Money, Money’ were all chart toppers in 1976. Elton John’s songbook was also well thumbed, John and Chrissy dueting on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’. 1950s favourite ‘Green Door’ was one of the most played songs over the years and ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ was a typical end-of-night rocker.

Reflecting on the broad reach of the evolving set list John says, “Well the music track we headed down was pretty varied, we also did songs by Linda Ronstadt, Donna Summer, Stevie Nicks, Olivia Newton-John, Bonnie Tyler, Fleetwood Mac, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, The Pointer Sisters, quite a few Rolling Stones numbers, Wild Cherry, Nick Gilder, Jo Jackson, Jo Jo Zep, Hot Chocolate and The McCoys.”

Kount Five Plus Two at TV's Toptown competition in 1979 at Rugby Park (now Yarrows Stadium), New Plymouth.

When asked about his favourite songs Kevin responds, “Rather than songs it’s the artists I remember most and the list is very long, but I do particularly remember Coup D’Etat’s ‘Doctor I Like Your Medicine’, ‘Still in Love’ and ‘April Sun in Cuba’ by Dragon, Men at Work’s ‘Down Under’, ‘Love is in the Air’ by John Paul Young, and Uriah Heep’s ‘Free Me’.”

Drummer Grant Campbell’s late 70s favourites are similar, “I loved ‘Who Can it Be Now’, ‘Doctor I Like Your Medicine’ and all of the Dragon songs we played.”

One of Kount Five Plus Two’s strong points was that each vocalist brought a different style. As well as the rockier power ballads, Chrissy’s powerful voice meant they could also deliver great versions of later new wave songs such as Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’.

Kount Five Plus Two in 1980 (L-R): Terry Hignett, Peter Webb, John Paki Paki, Martin Jordan, Chrissy Te Kahu, Kevin Olsen. - The Daily News, December 13, 1980

The period of social and cultural change the band gigged through was also reflected in what they wore and how they looked. Early photos from the dance-band days show the boys in the standard suits and skinny ties of the era, along with hair just starting to sprout (it was 1966-67 after all).

By the later 60s things start to loosen up a bit with the prerequisite garb of the day along with sidies, moustaches, longer hair and a generous amount of paisley showing up in Jenny and Sharon’s stage clothes. By the early 70s it was all on. John laughs saying, “You should have seen my collars, on a windy day I was lucky I didn’t take off like a helicopter ... and man the flares, we had some real flare action going on.” By the end of the decade they looked like you’d expect a late 70s band to look, with a few sneaky Hawaiian shirts thrown in for good measure.

Seventeen years is very good run for any band, especially one as hard working as Kount Five Plus Two. As all agree, it was quite a ride. The end when it came wasn’t planned. Appropriately it was after another packed Saturday night at The Westown.

Kount Five Plus Two in 1983. Final line-up L to R: Kevin Olsen, Grant Campbell, Chrissy Te Kahu, Martin Jordan, Terry Hignett and John Paki Paki.

Bass player Marty Jordan explains. “We finished quite unexpectedly when the band was really at the top of its game. We’d just had a fantastic gig. Afterwards one member said he wasn’t well and would need to call it quits. This led on to three others saying they had job opportunities elsewhere. So there was no fight or break up it was just simply that we had to stop.”

Kount Five Plus Two reunion in Westown, New Plymouth, 1992.

There were still two years’ worth of gigs in the book. Marty again, “Terry and I teamed up with some very experienced musicians to form Rekount. We had a two-piece brass section and a very good drummer, vocalist and keyboard/vocalist, so again we had plenty of vocals. We fulfilled all of Kount Five Plus Two’s bookings. After that we cut down to a four piece without the brass and continued as Kountdown with minimal changes through until 2008. So Terry and I carried on playing together for another 25 years, it’s hard to believe really,” he says, with a chuckle. Most of the others either continued to play music or returned to it later.

Kount Five Plus Two on stage in 2006 for the Last Gasp charity event that raised $22,000. L-R: Dave, Grant Campbell, Terry Hignett, John Paki Paki, Glennis Edwards and Marty Jordan.

There were two brief reunions. The first in 1992 saw a sell-out at the Stratford War Memorial Hall with a crowd of 1100, and another full house at The Westown the following night. In 2006 most of the band got together again, performing with other local bands for a charity event called Last Gasp that raised $22,000.

Let’s wind up the set with some thoughts from the band themselves.

John Paki Paki: “I think our longevity was due to the fact that while we were from diverse backgrounds we stuck together like glue. There were no drugs, no tantrums, no big heads and the kind of team discipline you get with good sports teams, probably because most of us had participated in sport, several to Taranaki provincial level. Also our female vocalists made an immediate impact when they joined. They had a connection with the women in our audiences that was unrivalled.”

Kevin Olsen: “Audiences can tell when a band is genuinely passionate about their music. We brought authentic energy and a love for performing. We also played songs people could relate and dance to, delivering high-quality performances and offering a variety of styles that kept things fresh and exciting for us, and kept them coming back. The energy of the big crowds was electric. Knowing you’re creating memorable experiences was incredibly rewarding. The immediacy of the feedback made all the hard work of rehearsals and preparation worth it, and playing for local crowds helped create a real bond with our local community.”

Grant Campbell: “I always got a kick out of seeing the punters having a great time up dancing and drinking. Then the invites to parties after the gigs! I think what made us so popular was that we were all perfectionists and it was a great line up with Terry, John and the girls out front. People related to our sound and the songs we were playing. My favourite venues were the Westown and Bell Block with the huge crowds we could pull on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and bouncing off the atmosphere from them. One thing I can’t over emphasise is the whānau aspect of the band. Even all these years later it’s one big family and we’re still in regular contact.”

In Puke Ariki’s exhibition Glennis recalled how “singing with Kount Five Plus Two wasn’t like going to work because it was so much fun. The band members were all good friends... and their strength came from how well the group worked together”. Chrissie summed things up nicely saying “when you’d got it you just knew, and you let the audience know too”.

Kount Five Plus Two. They provided the good time soundtrack for thousands of Taranaki people during a period of significant change. They reflected the times and were part of the times. Going to their pub gigs became a rite of passage for several generations of young people. Ultimately they held a very special place in the cultural and entertainment heart of the province, as was borne out by Puke Ariki’s 2024 exhibition – and let’s face it, 39,975 people can’t be wrong.

Kount Five - without two - in 2020, a Christmas gathering at the West Bar, New Plymouth. From left: John Paki Paki, Martin Jordan, Kevin Olsen, Peter Webb, and Terry Hignett.

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After Kount Five Plus Two ...

Terry Hignett
As covered above, Terry continued playing in Rekount and later formed Kountdown who gigged until 2008. He also made 26 appearances with various theatre groups.

John Paki Paki
John moved away from Taranaki for a time and had a break from performing but has been back singing since 2011 – including putting on performances for his neighbours in Highlands Park during the COVID-19 lockdowns. After one of our calls he was off to rehearse an upcoming show with a former member of The Nevadas. (He also told me he hoped I didn’t mind that he’d been singing ‘For Today’ at a few shows. I told him I was thrilled.)

Pete Webb
When Pete retired from the band in late 1979 he spent a month rehearsing with new drummer Grant so he could take over in the new year. When the band reformed to play its 25th birthday reunion in 1992 both Pete and Grant drummed, with two kits on stage. Pete died in March 2023.

Marty Jordan
Along with Terry, Marty kept gigging around the region with Rekount and Kountdown for another 25 years until finally retiring and selling his bass amp to Grant. (It sounds as if Grant’s bass playing teenage daughter currently has her eye on the rig.)

Joe Hignett
After leaving the band in 1977 Joe became famous to his friends and family for building a small plane in his lounge. He had to remove the windows to get it out. Joe died in January 2023.

Jenny Whana
Jenny got married in 1973 and left the band for the birth of her first child. By the 2010s she was back singing fulltime. These days she lives in Sydney and still sings in aged-care facilities.

Sharon Whana
Sharon left the band in 1976 to marry and have children. She later continued her musical career before moving to Australia in 2005. She has continued there singing at Returned Service League clubs, birthdays and in aged-care facilities.

Glennis Edwards
Glennis left the band in 1982 when the company she worked for transferred her to a new role in Rotorua.

Kevin Olsen
These days Kevin plays the pipe organ at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church in New Plymouth where he is part of the music team.

Chrissy Te Kahu
Chrissy’s future husband had started a new job in Auckland, so when Kount Five Plus Two disbanded she followed him north.

Grant Campbell
Grant has continued playing and now lives in Warkworth. These days he’s working with two cover bands and gigs in a blues band alongside three old schoolmates from New Plymouth’s Spotswood College. Over the years bands he has played with have opened for acts including Pat Benatar, America, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Dragon.

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Thank you to Puke Ariki

As well as thanking Kount Five Plus Two’s John Paki Paki, Kevin Olsen, Grant Campbell and Marty Jordan for sharing their memories, we would like to acknowledge New Plymouth museum Puke Ariki for providing a lot of the information in this story. And in particular Megan Wells, who curated the Kount Five Plus Two exhibition there in early 2024.