The Aotearoa Music Awards, conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording field. The awards are among the most significant that a group or artist can receive in New Zealand music, and have been presented annually since 1965. The awards show is presented by Recorded Music NZ. A range of award sponsors and media partners support the event each year.
The Exponents, formerly The Dance Exponents, is a New Zealand rock group led by vocalist and songwriter Jordan Luck.
Oxygen of Love is an album by New Zealand singer/songwriter Emma Paki released in 1996. Oxygen Of Love, produced by Crowded House and Supertramp’s Mark Hart, was released in 1996 and reached Gold status in New Zealand. The album gained Emma a second nomination for Best Female Vocalist and also Best Album in the Entertainer of the Year Awards in 1996, with her winning the Mana Maori Award. The single "System Virtue" won three awards at the 1993 New Zealand Music Awards - Best Songwriter, Most Promising Female Vocalist and Best Video, as well as Best Music Video at the 1996 TV Guide Television Awards. The video was also the most played New Zealand video of 1994. Her single Greenstone, produced by Neil Finn, charted to #9 on the New Zealand charts and won her a nomination for Best Female Vocalist in the 1995 New Zealand Music Awards.
Lawrence Arabia is the musical guise of New Zealand artist and composer James Milne.
Virginia Claire Wigmore is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Featured on the Smashproof single "Brother" in 2009, Wigmore went on to release four albums Holy Smoke (2009), Gravel & Wine (2011), Blood to Bone (2015) and Ivory (2018), with the first three having been chart-toppers on the New Zealand Albums Chart. She is known for her high pitched and raspy voice.
Dane Aaron Rumble is a New Zealand recording artist. He is a former member of New Zealand hip hop group, Fast Crew.
Kimbra Lee Johnson is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model who mixes pop with classic R&B, jazz and rock musical elements. Her musical influences range from Prince and Minnie Riperton to Björk and Jeff Buckley. Her debut album, Vows, was released in Australia in 2011. Singles from the album include "Settle Down", "Cameo Lover", "Good Intent" and "Two Way Street".
The 2010 New Zealand Music Awards was the 45th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 16 August 2010 with winners announced on 1 September, the date on which finalists for 16 'non-technical' categories were revealed. Five 'non-technical' awards were presented without a group of finalists being selected. The awards ceremony took place on 7 October 2010 at Vector Arena, Auckland. Hosted by television presenter Shannon Ryan and comedian Ben Hurley, the ceremony was broadcast on television channel C4. Various musicians, most of whom had been nominated for awards, performed songs on the awards night.
The New Zealand Music Award for Airplay Record of the Year is a New Zealand Music Award presented annually to songs by local artists that receive high airplay. It was first presented in 2004 to Goldenhorse for "Maybe Tomorrow". No award was presented in 2005, but in 2006 it was reintroduced, with The Feelers claiming it for their single "Stand Up". Brooke Fraser's "Deciphering Me" followed in 2007, while Opshop won the award in 2008 with "Maybe". In 2009, "Always on My Mind", by Tiki Taane, was awarded the title. Stan Walker twice won the award two years in a row — in 2010 with "Black Box" and in 2011 with "Choose You", and again with "Take It Easy" in 2013 and "Bulletproof" in 2014.
The New Zealand Music Award for Best Electronic Artist is a New Zealand Music Award that honours New Zealand artists for outstanding dance-pop and electronica recordings.
The 2013 New Zealand Music Awards is the 48th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. The main awards event will be held on 21 November 2013 at Vector Arena, Auckland and will again be hosted by Shannon Ryan, along with new host Stan Walker. Nominations opened on 27 May 2013 and closed on 8 July 2013. Eligible works were those released between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013. The ceremony will be broadcast on television channel Four, as will a red carpet special hosted by Drew Neemia and Sharyn Casey.
Best Hip Hop Artist and Best Soul/RnB Artist are two New Zealand Music Awards that honour New Zealand music artists for outstanding recordings of the genres of hip hop, and soul or R&B. The award was first awarded in 2002 as Best R&B/Hip Hop Album, and in 2003 it was called Best Urban Album. In 2004 it moved to Best Urban/Hip Hop Album. In 2017 the award was split into two separate awards: Best Hip Hop Artist and Best Soul/RnB Artist. The entry criteria were also changed to require either an album or a minimum of five single releases in the eligibility period.
Breakthrough Artist of the Year is a New Zealand Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for outstanding recordings. Artists who have previously been nominated for a New Zealand Music Award or has had a previous album reach the top 20 of the Official New Zealand Music Chart are ineligible. The award was first awarded in 1973 as Best New Artist.
Breakthrough Artist of the Year is a New Zealand Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for their success in the music markets of other countries. Record sales are the main factor in determining the award, but record chart positions, sales of concert tickets and notable promotional performances are also taken into account. It was first awarded in 1984. It was not awarded in 2006. In 2005, 2008 and 2009, multiple artists received the honour.
The 2014 New Zealand Music Awards was the 49th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 20 November 2014 at Vector Arena in Auckland. The awards show was screened on channel Four, the first time the event was broadcast live.
Album of the Year is a New Zealand Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for outstanding album. The award was first awarded in 1973 as part of the Recording Arts Talent Awards (RATA). Singer-songwriter Bic Runga has won the award twice, in 1998 and 2006, while singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn has won once as a solo artist in 1998 and twice with his band DD Smash in 1982 and 1983.
The 2015 New Zealand Music Awards was the 50th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 19 November 2015 at Vector Arena in Auckland and was hosted by Taika Waititi. The awards show was broadcast live on TV3. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the awards from its origins in 1965 as the Loxene Golden Disc.
Best Māori Artist is a New Zealand Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for outstanding recordings which reflect a unique Maori identity and/or are an expression of an artist’s Maori culture. The nominated work can be in te reo Maori, English or be bilingual. The award is presented annually at the New Zealand Music Awards where the winner receives a Tui trophy.
The New Zealand Music Awards for Highest Selling New Zealand Album and Highest Selling New Zealand Single are two annual awards presented to the New Zealand album and single with the highest sales in the awards period. The awards are presented annually by Recorded Music NZ at the annual New Zealand Music Awards. Nominations are not normally announced in this category.
The 2017 New Zealand Music Awards was the 52nd holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 16 November 2017 at Spark Arena in Auckland and it was hosted by Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce. The awards show was broadcast live nationally on Three.
