| Rank | Artist | Title |
|---|
| 1 | Adele | 21 |
| 2 | Ed Sheeran | + |
| 3 | One Direction | Up All Night |
| 4 | Mumford & Sons | Babel |
| 5 | The Black Keys | El Camino |
| 6 | Taylor Swift | Red |
| 7 | Rod Stewart | Merry Christmas, Baby |
| 8 | Six60 | Six60{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 9 | One Direction | Take Me Home |
| 10 | Pink | The Truth About Love |
| 11 | Lana Del Rey | Born To Die |
| 12 | Susan Boyle | The Greatest Songs from the Stage |
| 13 | Michael Bublé | Christmas |
| 14 | Led Zeppelin | Celebration Day |
| 15 | Bruno Mars | Doo-Wops & Hooligans |
| 16 | Skrillex | Bangarang |
| 17 | Coldplay | Mylo Xyloto |
| 18 | Peter Posa | White Rabbit: The Very Best Of Peter Posa{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 19 | Fun | Some Nights |
| 20 | Whitney Houston | The Ultimate Collection |
| 21 | Reece Mastin | Reece Mastin |
| 22 | Katy Perry | Teenage Dream |
| 23 | Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons | Jersey's Best: The Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons |
| 24 | Rod Stewart | 1964–1990 |
| 25 | Kimbra | Vows{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 26 | Florence and the Machine | Ceremonials |
| 27 | Gin Wigmore | Gravel & Wine{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 28 | Justin Bieber | Believe |
| 29 | Leonard Cohen | Old Ideas |
| 30 | Maroon 5 | Overexposed |
| 31 | The Rolling Stones | GRRR! |
| 32 | Amy Winehouse | Hidden Treasures |
| 33 | Linkin Park | Living Things |
| 34 | Bee Gees | Mythology |
| 35 | LMFAO | Sorry for Party Rocking |
| 36 | Mumford & Sons | Sigh No More |
| 37 | Adele | 19 |
| 38 | Karise Eden | My Journey |
| 39 | Dennis Marsh | Sounds of the Pacific{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 40 | Bruno Mars | Unorthodox Jukebox |
| 41 | Mark Knopfler | Privateering |
| 42 | Nicki Minaj | Roman Reloaded |
| 43 | David Guetta | Nothing but the Beat |
| 44 | Slash and Myles Kennedy | Apocalyptic Love |
| 45 | Home Brew | Home Brew{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 46 | Fleetwood Mac | 25 Years – The Chain |
| 47 | Jersey Boys original Broadway cast | Original Broadway Cast Recording |
| 48 | Skrillex | Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites |
| 49 | Kora | Light Years{{ref>reference_name_NZ|‡|‡}} |
| 50 | Foo Fighters | Wasting Light |
|
1. ^{{cite web|title=END OF YEAR CHARTS 2012|url=http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=2131|work=The Official NZ Music Charts|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|accessdate=9 January 2014}}