The first recipients of NZ On Air’s New Music Project Touring (NMPT) fund have been announced, with 10 solo artists and 10 groups each receiving grants of up to $50,000, covering up to 50% of the related eligible touring costs. This first pilot round attracted 36 applications with 20 artists receiving funding from a total available pool of $500,000. The announcement including news that the NMPT fund will return in 2026.

Announced in July the NMPT fund was designed to help local acts take their music on the road to promote album or EP releases through live performances. It was open only to artists who had already received an NZ On Air New Music Project (NMP) grant, and had not yet released their project. The $10,000 – $50,000 funding provided covers a range of touring costs including transport, accommodation, marketing, production, venue hire and session musician fees.

“This funding is making a tangible difference,” says NZ On Air Head of Music Teresa Patterson. “Artists are telling us they can add extra dates, reach smaller towns, keep ticket prices affordable, and deliver the kind of production that fans expect. Without this support, many of these tours would have been scaled back, had to increase ticket prices or not happened at all.”

Country music singer Kaylee Bell, who received a $33,000 NMP grant for a new EP project in July ’24, says the New Music Project Touring funding will help artists to put together shows of a high quality. Tāmaki Makaurau party-punk act Dick Move got NMP funding of $55,000 for their just-released album in April 2025, and are taking advantage of the additional NMPT grant to expand their album tour and include all-ages shows.

The second round of New Music Project Touring funding will open in April 2026, with decisions announced in early July.