The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards winners were revealed at the annual awards ceremony held this year at The Civic in Tāmaki Makaurau on May 28. A spectacular showcase recognising the diversity of successful NZ music and musicians, the night also proved to be, as Tūī-winner Tom Scott quipped, the Aotearoa Marlon Awards.

Marlon Williams picked up three major Tūī for; Album of the Year, Single of the Year (Aua Atu Rā )and Best Solo Artist. That remarkable sweep of the night’s top awards was further extended with Mark Perkins wining the Best Engineer Tūī trophy for his work on Williams’ now multiple-award winning 2025 album ‘Te Whare Tīwekaweka’.

Last October Williams won the 2025 APRA Silver Scroll Award for Aua Atu Rā, alongside album co-writer Kommi Tamati-Elliffe (KOMMI), and since then he has also claimed the 2026 Taite Music Prize, and earlier in May another album track from the largely te reo album, Whakameatia Mai, won the APRA Best Country Song at the 2026 Country Music Honours.

Previous winners of the Best Group category in 2019, 2020 and 2024, The Beths made it a four-peat in picking up this year’s Tūī on the strength of their 2025 album ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’.

The Best Pop Artist title went Lorde, for her global phenomenon ‘Virgin’ album, which also saw the superstar given the International Achievement Tūī, an award presented for the first time since 2020, in recognition of the international success of the album which hit #1 in the UK and Australia, and #2 in the US. Lorde accepted the accolades in back to back video clips.

2026 chart-topping newcomer reggae artist Te Wehi and the 2025 AMA Breakthrough Tūī winner Hori Shaw, performed together to open a spectacular and emotional AMA event that again reflected the growing success of Māori artists and te reo Māori releases.  

Te Wehi was later acknowledged as the 2026 Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and also won the Best Roots Artist Tūī. At one point the East Coast artist simultaneously held six of the Top 20 positions on the Official Aotearoa Singles Chart, claiming five spots in the Top 20 End-of-Year Aotearoa Singles Chart.

Winner of the same category in 2024, TAWAZ was awarded the Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist Tūī, while Stan Walker was not to be left out, claiming the Mana Reo award for the second year in a row with Mō Āke Tonu.

Previously just the Best Rock category was extended to become Best Rock / Metal Artist in 2026, and fittingly enough the Tūī was won by established te reo metallers Alien Weaponry, who had won the Rock category in 2018 and 2022 – maintaining their World Cup-cycle record. 

Tami Neilson further extended her own incredible record in collecting the Tūī as Best Country Music Artist for the eighth time, for ‘Neon Cowgirl’. She later performed her song King Of Country Music with a nod to the Topp Twins’ classic Untouchable Girls, joined for the performance by an all-star group of female special guest artists including fellow Country finalist Jenny Mitchell, in paying tribute to Dame Jools Topp – a key mentor for Neilson – who passed away on Saturday May 23.

Joining them on stage at the song’s completion Jools’ sister Dame Lynda Topp was welcomed with a standing ovation alongside and memorably delivered a emotional, passionate, and trademark politically-shaming speech, about the loss of her twin and the importance of music. 

Tom Scott was named Best Soul/RnB Artist for his first solo album, ‘ANITYA’, and also performed a medley of tracks from the record on the night. The album’s producer and engineer Ben Lawson was awarded the Best Producer Tūī.

The Best Alternative Artist Tūī went to autodidact alt hip hop artist and performer MĀ for her debut album ‘Blame It On The Weather’. MĀ also took to the stage to present a special performance of TrapsJam, from the multi-nominated release.

The Tūī for Best Electronic Artist was awarded to Caru and Brandn Shiraz for their collaborative EP, ‘Back 2 Back’, and MOKOMOKAI claimed the Best Hip Hop Artist Tūī for ‘PONO’.

Best Folk Artist was awarded to UK-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ny Oh (Naomi Ludlow), for her debut album ‘Wildwood’. London-based composer Louisa Williamson was named as Best Jazz Artist for her second solo album ‘Groundwork’, while the Best Classical Artist Tūī was awarded to Michael Norris for his ‘Rerenga’ collection of chamber and orchestral music spanning 2015 – 2022.

Te Manu Mātārae Tūī, which recognises artists that have made a significant impact on the music landscape in Aotearoa and beyond, was this year awarded to Balu Brigada. Multi-instrumentalist brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley from Tāmaki Makarau have been busy touring around the world and seen huge international success in the last year. 

Best Album Artwork was awarded to Nick Keller for his work for Beastwars album ‘The Ship // The Sea’, while Best Music Video Content was won by Stella Reid for Scared Old Men by Dick Move, who also delivered a high energy live performance featuring the song.

The 2026 People’s Choice Tūī was awarded to indie pop sensation Borderline, who have had a huge year off the back of the release of their debut EP ‘Chrysalis’.

The title of Highest Selling Artist went to Six60 for the eighth time in a row, while the Radio Airplay Record of the Year award was claimed by Riiki Reid for her hit single Over Romantic, Reid also performing the track with a troupe of dancers.

Fat Freddy’s Drop was celebrated as the 2026 recipient of the Aotearoa Charts Icon award, first introduced last year. The band’s impressive, ongoing run has seen them release eight acclaimed studio albums, four of which went to #1 on the Top 40.

Closing proceedings to  another standing ovation Che Fu was inducted into Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa | NZ Music Hall of Fame by AMA hosts Recorded Music NZ. The hip hop legend was welcomed by his longtime friend Betty-Anne Hall, the voice of Ardijah. Che closed out the long playing 2026 AMA celebration with a medley of some of his most iconic tracks, accompanied by his longtime band The Kratez.

Aotearoa Music Awards 2026 Winners List

NZ On Air Te Tino Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of the Year

Marlon Williams – ‘Te Whare Tīwekaweka’

Spotify Te Tino Waiata o te Tau | Single of the Year

Marlon Williams – Aua Atu Rā

Te Tino Reo o te Tau | Best Solo Artist

Marlon Williams – ‘Te Whare Tīwekaweka’

Te Tino Kāhui Manu Taki o te Tau | Best Group

The Beths – ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’

Te Manu Taki Arotini o te Tau | Best Pop Artist

Lorde – ‘Virgin’

Te Māngai Pāho Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist

TAWAZ

Te Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year

Te Wehi

Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau | Best Alternative Artist

MĀ – ‘Blame It On The Weather’

Te Manu Taki Tuawhenua o te Tau | Best Country Music Artist

Tami Neilson – ‘Neon Cowgirl’

BurgerFuel Te Manu Taki Tāhiko o te Tau | Best Electronic Artist

Caru & Brandn Shiraz – ‘Back 2 Back’

Te Manu Taki Ahurea o te Tau | Best Folk Artist

Ny Oh – ‘Wildwood’

Te Manu Taki Ātete o te Tau | Best Hip Hop Artist

MOKOMOKAI – PONO

Te Manu Taki Rakapīoi / Rakatū Pāorooro o te Tau | Best Rock / Metal Artist

Alien Weaponry – ‘Te Rā’

Te Manu Taki Taketake o te Tau | Best Roots Artist

Te Wehi

Te Manu Taki Manako o te Tau | Best Soul/RnB Artist

Tom Scott – ANITYA

Te Manu Taki Tautito o te Tau | Best Jazz Artist

Louisa Williamson – ‘Groundwork’

Te Manu Taki Tuauki o te Tau | Best Classical Artist

Michael Norris – ‘Rerenga’

Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo

Stan Walker – Mō Āke Tonu (feat. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke)

Te Taumata o te Kaiwhakaputa | Best Producer

Ben Lawson – ‘ANITYA’ (Tom Scott)

Te Taumata o te Pūkenga Oro | Best Engineer

Mark Perkins – ‘Te Whare Tīwekaweka’ (Marlon Williams)

Te Taumata o te Toi | Best Album Artwork

Nick Keller – ‘The Ship // The Sea’ (Beastwars)

NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Ataata | Best Music Video Content

Stella Reid – ‘Scared Old Men’ (Dick Move)

Tohu Tutuki o te Ao | International Achievement

Lorde

Te Manu Mātārae

Balu Brigada

Te Taumata o te Hokona | Highest Selling Artist

Six60

NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Horapa | Radio Airplay Record of the Year

Riiki Reid – ‘Over Romantic’

JD Sports Tā te Iwi | People’s Choice

Borderline

Aotearoa Charts Icon

Fat Freddy’s Drop

Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa | NZ Music Hall of Fame recipient

Che Fu

Photos by Stijl / James Ensing-Trussell