The three finalists for the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year award have been announced by Recorded Music NZ.

The winner of the Breakthrough Tūī is determined based on data illustrating audience growth and commercial performance of recordings in terms of radio airplay and streaming/sales in Aotearoa during the 2025 calendar year.

The artists named as finalists in 2026 are indie pop group Borderline; alt singer-songwriter, producer and sound artist MĀ; PMA award-winning radio star Shane
Walker; and local chart-dominating Whakatāne artist Te Wehi.

Borderline released their debut EP ‘Chrysalis’ in 2025, which sees them also in the running for Best Pop Artist alongside Lorde and BENEE. The EP spent seven weeks in the Aotearoa Top 20 Albums Chart, while the band played showcases at international music industry festivals SXSW, The Great Escape and Bigsound in Brisbane.

MĀ‘s music blends soul, hip hop, neo soul, jazz and te reo Māori. Her bilingual sophomore album ‘Blame It On The Weather’ received much critical acclaim, and also led to the Te Whanganui-a-Tara artist being named finalist in the AMA Album of the Year, Best Māori Artist and Best Alternative Artist categories.

Shane Walker blew up the local airwaves and the charts with his breakthrough hit single Coasty Girl spent 70 weeks on the Official Top 20 Aotearoa Singles Chart, staying at #1 for three months. He also charted in 2025 with follow up singles Whakapara Girl, Mama and Waimā Girl – and was awarded Best Pacific Male Artist, and Best Pacific Song and the people’s choice-voted Best Pacific Artist Award, at the 2025 Pacific Music Awards for his single Believe.

Te Wehi was also a chart dominator in 2025, at peak simultaneously having six of the Top 20 positions on the Top 20 Aotearoa Singles Chart. Inside My Head, Unfortunately and Raining were among his charting singles, with Unaware also spending four weeks on the Official Top 40 Singles Chart. Te Wehi’s Top 40 singles with Hori Shaw, Ready To Ride (which sees then among AMA finalists for Single of the Year), and Catch A Wave, also charted in 2025.

In addition to sharing the finalists for 2026 Breakthrough Artist of the Year, MĀ and Te Wehi, along with Hori Shaw, will also be among the performers at the AMA 2026 event taking place at The Civic in Auckland on May 28.