LEAO won the 2026 APRA Silver Scroll for “LALELEI”, the first song written entirely in Gagana Samoa to take New Zealand’s top songwriting award. It was presented on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Auckland’s Aotea Centre, where Aro’s “Puna Ora” won the Maioha Award and Rob Ruha won the first Kapa Haka Songwriting Award.
The Silver Scroll is New Zealand’s top songwriting award, and unlike most music awards it is decided by songwriters themselves. The 2026 ceremony was also part of APRA AMCOS’s 100-year anniversary celebrations. The winners below are taken from the winners list published by NZ Music Commission site muzic.nz, and the finalists the songwriters voted on are kept for the record.
Date, venue and key details
| Date | Wednesday 14 October 2026 |
| Venue | Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre |
| City | Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland |
| Organiser | APRA AMCOS |
| Top 20 announced | 8 July 2026 |
| Finalists announced | 10 September 2026 |
| 2026 winner | “LALELEI” – LEAO (David Feauai-Afaese, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, Levi Gemmell, Larsen Taylor) |
| 2025 winner | “Aua Atu Rā” – Marlon Williams and Te Pononga Tamati-Elliffe (KOMMI) |
APRA had not published broadcast or livestream details in its finalist announcement on 10 September 2026.
Who won the Silver Scroll 2026, and the other finalists
| Song | Artist | Songwriters |
|---|---|---|
| “Afters” | Troy Kingi feat. MĀ | Troy Kingi, Maarire Brunning-Kouka |
| “LALELEI” | LEAO | David Feauai-Afaese, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, Levi Gemmell, Larsen Taylor |
| “One Stop” | Aldous Harding | Hannah Topp |
| “Someone’s Daughter” | Deva Mahal | Deva Mahal, Chris Wethey |
| “Wrong Party” | Fazed on a Pony | Peter McCall |
“LALELEI” won. The four other finalists were “Afters”, “One Stop”, “Someone’s Daughter” and “Wrong Party”. Big names had already missed the final five. The Top 20 announced in July included Lorde‘s “David”, songs by BENEE and Tami Neilson’s “Neon Cowgirl” featuring Neil Finn, alongside newer acts such as ratbag, alayna and HOPE.
Maioha Award winner and finalists
The Maioha Award, presented since 2003, recognises contemporary waiata with te reo Māori at their heart. In 2026 it went to “Puna Ora” by Aro, written by Charles and Emily Looker, who had two waiata on the shortlist, a first for the category.
| Song | Artist | Songwriters |
|---|---|---|
| “Mānawa Maiea Matariki” | TAWAZ, Stan Walker, Hera, Hone, Nepia, Rani and Hops | Tawaroa Kawana, Rangi-Ānehu Mātāmua |
| “Puna Ora” | Aro | Charles Looker, Emily Looker |
| “Toitū Te Tiriti” | Geneva AM | Geneva Alexander-Marsters, Eric Scholes |
Kapa Haka Songwriting Award winner
Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito, a new award for kaitito who write for kapa haka, was presented for the first time in 2026. Rob Ruha won with “Te Tapuni”, performed by Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA). The three finalists were:
| Waiata | Rōpū | Composers |
|---|---|---|
| “Ka Mutu Te Aroha” | Te Whare Haka o Te Puku | Dr Hinurewa Poutū, Tawaroa Kawana |
| “Te Tapuni” | Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA) | Rob Ruha |
| “Wai Ka Tuku Wai Ka Hono” | Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti | Tā Derek Lardelli, Te Rauhuia Ngata, Ani Piki Tuari, Hamiora Tuari |
SOUNZ Contemporary Award winner and finalists
Dylan Lardelli won for “Light Lines”. “I feel very humbled to receive this year’s SOUNZ Contemporary Award,” he said. The finalists were:
- “curio” – Ihlara McIndoe (the 2025 winner, for “of coral and foam”)
- “Light Lines” – Dylan Lardelli
- “Partial Forms” – Michael Norris and Nicholas Denton Protsack
- “Soft Logic” – Samuel Holloway
Screen music winners and finalists
Best Original Music in a Series
- Claire Cowan – Bust Up (winner 2026, her second win after 2017)
- Lachlan Anderson – Crackhead
- Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper – Tangata Pai (winner of this category in 2025 for The Gone season two)
Best Original Music in a Film
- Jonathan Crayford – Caterpillar
- Karl Steven and Rob Thorne – Mārama
- Karl Steven – Pike River (winner 2026, his fourth win in this category)
How the winners are chosen
A panel of industry figures picks the Silver Scroll Top 20; this year it included songwriters and producers such as Cass Mitchell, Chelsea Nikkel, JessB and Mara TK. The Maioha Top 11 was chosen by judges with expertise in te reo Māori composition, including Byllie-jean Zeta, Hēmi Kelly and Stormie Kereopa-Lloyd. APRA’s members, the country’s songwriters, then vote to decide both the finalists and the winners.
Silver Scroll winners year by year
| Year | Song | Songwriters | Ceremony |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | “LALELEI” | David Feauai-Afaese, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, Levi Gemmell, Larsen Taylor (LEAO) | Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland |
| 2025 | “Aua Atu Rā” | Marlon Williams, Te Pononga Tamati-Elliffe (KOMMI) | Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch |
| 2024 | “Kātuarehe” | Anna Coddington, Noema Te Hau III, Ruth Smith, Kawiti Waetford | St James Theatre, Wellington |
| 2023 | “Expert in a Dying Field” | The Beths | – |
| 1965 (first award) | “Teardrops” | Wayne Kent-Healey (performed by Herma Keil & The Keil Isles) | – |
Marlon Williams’ 2025 win was his second Silver Scroll, making him the ninth songwriter to win the award more than once. The Warratahs were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the same ceremony.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Silver Scroll 2026?
LEAO, for “LALELEI”, announced on 14 October 2026 at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Auckland’s Aotea Centre.
Who were the Silver Scroll 2026 finalists?
“Afters” (Troy Kingi feat. MĀ), “LALELEI” (LEAO), “One Stop” (Aldous Harding), “Someone’s Daughter” (Deva Mahal) and “Wrong Party” (Fazed on a Pony).
Who won the Silver Scroll in 2025?
Marlon Williams and Te Pononga Tamati-Elliffe (KOMMI) won for “Aua Atu Rā”.
Who votes for the Silver Scroll?
APRA members, New Zealand’s songwriters, vote for the finalists and the winner after an industry panel selects the Top 20.
Was Lorde nominated for the Silver Scroll 2026?
Her song “David” made the Top 20 but was not one of the five finalists.
