Marlon Williams was the big winner at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards, taking Album of the Year for Te Whare Tīwekaweka, Single of the Year for “Aua Atu Rā” and Best Solo Artist. Lorde and Te Wehi won two Tūī each, The Beths won Best Group, and Ché Fu was inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame.
The awards were held on Thursday 28 May 2026 at The Civic in Auckland. This guide has every main 2026 winner, the 2025 and 2024 results, Album of the Year winners going back to 2015, where to watch the show and what is known so far about the 2027 awards.
Who won the Aotearoa Music Awards 2026?
Marlon Williams won the most Tūī at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards, with three: Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Best Solo Artist. He went in with seven nominations, the most of any finalist. Lorde won Best Pop Artist and International Achievement, and Te Wehi won Breakthrough Artist and Best Roots Artist.
Ché Fu was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, 25 years after his album Navigator came out. Six60 were the Highest Selling Artist, and Fat Freddy’s Drop received the Aotearoa Charts Icon award. The full winners list was published by Recorded Music NZ, which runs the awards.
Full list of 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards winners
The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards handed out Tūī in genre, craft and sales categories. The main categories went to Marlon Williams (album, single, solo artist), The Beths (group) and Te Wehi (breakthrough), while TAWAZ won Best Māori Artist and Stan Walker took the Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo award for a te reo Māori song.
| Award | 2026 winner |
|---|---|
| Album of the Year | Marlon Williams, Te Whare Tīwekaweka |
| Single of the Year | Marlon Williams, “Aua Atu Rā” |
| Best Solo Artist | Marlon Williams |
| Best Group | The Beths |
| Breakthrough Artist | Te Wehi |
| Best Māori Artist | TAWAZ |
| Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo | Stan Walker, “Mō Āke Tonu” (feat. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke) |
| Best Pop Artist | Lorde, Virgin |
| International Achievement | Lorde |
| Best Rock/Metal Artist | Alien Weaponry, Te Rā |
| Best Hip Hop Artist | MOKOMOKAI, PONO |
| Best Soul/RnB Artist | Tom Scott, ANITYA |
| Best Alternative Artist | MĀ, Blame It On The Weather |
| Best Electronic Artist | Caru & Brandn Shiraz, Back 2 Back |
| Best Country Music Artist | Tami Neilson, Neon Cowgirl |
| Best Roots Artist | Te Wehi |
| Best Folk Artist | Ny Oh, Wildwood |
| Best Jazz Artist | Louisa Williamson, Groundwork |
| Best Classical Artist | Michael Norris, Rerenga |
| People’s Choice | Borderline |
| Best Music Video Content | Stella Reid, “Scared Old Men” (Dick Move) |
| Best Album Artwork | Nick Keller, Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea |
| Best Producer | Ben Lawson |
| Best Engineer | Mark Perkins |
| Highest Selling Artist | Six60 |
| Radio Airplay Record | Riiki Reid, “Over Romantic” |
| Te Manu Mātārae | Balu Brigada |
| Aotearoa Charts Icon | Fat Freddy’s Drop |
| NZ Music Hall of Fame | Ché Fu |
For Lorde, the Best Pop win was for her 2025 album Virgin, the record behind her Ultrasound World Tour. Stan Walker won the Mana Reo award for the second year running.
When and where were the 2026 awards held?
The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards were held on Thursday 28 May 2026 at The Civic in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Kara Rickard returned as host alongside comedian Tom Sainsbury. The finalists had been announced six weeks earlier, on 16 April 2026, and the awards recognised music released during 2025.
Where to watch the Aotearoa Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards are livestreamed by RNZ, the official media partner, so you can watch the ceremony free online on the night. In 2025 the show was also made available on TVNZ+ from the day after the ceremony.
Can you buy tickets to the Aotearoa Music Awards?
We could not find any public ticket sales advertised by the organisers for recent Aotearoa Music Awards ceremonies, and no prices have been published. For most music fans the way to see the night is the free RNZ livestream. If public tickets are offered for 2027, this guide will be updated.
When are the Aotearoa Music Awards 2027?
The date of the 2027 Aotearoa Music Awards has not been announced as of 3 November 2026. The last three ceremonies were all held in late May, on 30 May 2024, 29 May 2025 and 28 May 2026. For the 2026 awards, entries were open until 17 December 2025 and covered music released during 2025.
Who won the Aotearoa Music Awards 2025?
Fazerdaze won Album of the Year at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards for Soft Power, and also took Best Solo Artist. Charli XCX and Lorde won Single of the Year for “Girl, so confusing”. The ceremony was held on 29 May 2025 at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland, marking 60 years of the awards.
| Award | 2025 winner |
|---|---|
| Album of the Year | Fazerdaze, Soft Power |
| Single of the Year | Charli XCX feat. Lorde, “Girl, so confusing” |
| Best Solo Artist | Fazerdaze |
| Best Group | Earth Tongue |
| Breakthrough Artist | Hori Shaw |
| Best Māori Artist and Mana Reo | Stan Walker |
| Best Pop Artist | Cassie Henderson |
| Best Rock Artist | DARTZ |
| Best Hip Hop Artist | David Dallas |
| Best Soul/RnB Artist | Aaradhna |
| Best Country Music Artist | Tami Neilson |
| People’s Choice | Devilskin |
| Highest Selling Artist and Charts Icon | SIX60 |
| Radio Airplay Record | L.A.B |
The 2025 show was hosted by Kara Rickard and Jesse Mulligan. Fazerdaze and Stan Walker each went home with two Tūī, as 1News reported the night after, and SIX60 and L.A.B also won two each.
Who won the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards?
The Beths won Album of the Year at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards for Expert in a Dying Field, and also won Best Group. Avantdale Bowling Club won Single of the Year for “Friday Night at the Liquor Store”, Marlon Williams was Best Solo Artist and COTERIE was the Breakthrough Artist. The ceremony was on 30 May 2024.
TAWAZ won Best Māori Artist and the Mana Reo award that year, and Dame Hinewehi Mohi was inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame.
Album of the Year winners by year
Album of the Year is the top Tūī at the Aotearoa Music Awards. The Beths, Marlon Williams, Broods and L.A.B have each won it twice since 2015, and Lorde won in 2017 with Melodrama. No awards were held in 2023.
| Year | Album of the Year |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Marlon Williams, Te Whare Tīwekaweka |
| 2025 | Fazerdaze, Soft Power |
| 2024 | The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field |
| 2023 | No awards held |
| 2022 | L.A.B, L.A.B V |
| 2021 | L.A.B, L.A.B IV |
| 2020 | The Beths, Jump Rope Gazers |
| 2019 | Avantdale Bowling Club, Avantdale Bowling Club |
| 2018 | Marlon Williams, Make Way for Love |
| 2017 | Lorde, Melodrama |
| 2016 | Broods, Conscious |
| 2015 | Broods, Evergreen |
From the Loxene Golden Disc to the Tūī
The Aotearoa Music Awards began as the Loxene Golden Disc, first presented in 1965. They became the New Zealand Music Awards in 1998, with Vodafone as naming sponsor from 2004, and took the name Aotearoa Music Awards in 2020. The trophies are called Tūī, and Recorded Music NZ organises the awards.
The AMAs are separate from the songwriting awards run by APRA AMCOS. Those include the Silver Scroll Awards, which honour the song itself rather than the recording.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the NZ Music Awards?
The NZ Music Awards are now called the Aotearoa Music Awards. At the latest ceremony, on 28 May 2026, Marlon Williams won Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Best Solo Artist.
What did Lorde win at the Aotearoa Music Awards 2026?
Lorde won two Tūī in 2026, Best Pop Artist for Virgin and the International Achievement award.
Who won Breakthrough Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards?
Te Wehi won Breakthrough Artist in 2026. Hori Shaw won it in 2025 and COTERIE in 2024.
Who won People's Choice at the Aotearoa Music Awards 2026?
Borderline won the People’s Choice award in 2026. Devilskin won it in 2025.
What is the Aotearoa Music Awards trophy called?
The trophy is called a Tūī, which is why the awards are often called the Tūīs.
