In a break from its 14-year tradition, the 2019 Manager of the Year award will be presented as part of the Artisan Awards, held in Wellington in conjunction with Massey University’s School of Music and Creative Media Production.

Billed as the Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year award, it will be presented at the event in November, alongside Tui trophies for Best Producer, Best Engineer, Best Music Video, Best Album Cover and Music Teacher of the Year.

Teresa Patterson, chairperson of MMF NZ says: “We are incredibly honoured to have the ‘Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year’ award included as part of the VNZMA Artisan Awards and to be able to mark the 15-year anniversary of the NZ Music Managers’ Awards in such a significant way. This award celebrates the hard work of talented music managers and self-managed artists, and we are thrilled for it to be presented in November alongside the creative technicians and visual artists who also dedicate their craft to the success of NZ musicians.”

Nominations for the 2019 Manager of the Year award are open until Friday, June 28.

The eligibility period for this year is 1 March 2018 – 31 May 2019, covering an extended 15 month period. MMF NZ are looking to evolve the organisation’s annual May awards event, which they say will return to Auckland in 2020.