The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards (AMA) belonged to Māori artists.
Accompanying wins in the primarily te reo Māori categories, Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo (Stan Walker for “Mō Āke Tonu”, his collaboration with Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke) and Te Māngai Pāho Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist (TAWAZ), Māori artists emerged triumphant elsewhere in most of the main categories.
After winning the 2026 Taite Music Prize for Te Whare Tīwekaweka, his first fully te reo Māori album, Marlon Williams came into this year’s AMA as the heavy favourite, leading the nominations with seven nods.
At tonight’s ceremony inside Auckland’s Civic Theatre, Williams’ most personal album to date earned him Best Solo Artist, Single of the Year (for album standout “Aua Atu Rā”), and the biggest prize of them all, Album of the Year. Mark Perkins also won Best Engineer for his work on Te Whare Tīwekaweka.
Exciting newcomer Te Wehi, who has enjoyed a stellar 12 months on the Aotearoa Charts, at one stage holding six of the top 20 positions on the Official Top 20 Aotearoa Singles Chart, capped his breakout year with a win in the Breakthrough Artist of the Year category. Te Wehi also opened the ceremony on the night.
Best Hip Hop Artist, meanwhile, went to Rolling Stone AU/NZ favourites MOKOMOKAI, whose excellent PONO! album found the trio embracing the complexity of being Māori. Read our 2025 interview with MOKOMOKAI here.
MĀ — aka Te Whanganui-a-Tara musician Maarire Brunning-Kouka — won Best Alternative Artist for her wonderful latest album, Blame it on the Weather. She also gave one of the best performances of the night inside the Civic.
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Despite facing tough competition from Dick Move and Beastwars, Māori metal trio Alien Weaponry won Best Rock / Metal Artist for Te Rā, their third studio album. Read our interview with Alien Weaponry, in which they discussed their pride at taking Māori culture to the rest of the world through their music.
During her speech for winning NZ On Air Te Taumata o te Ataata | Best Music Video Content (for Dick Move’s “Scared Old Men”), Stella Reid shouted out Stan Walker.
“[Y]ou have the voice of an angel,” Reid said. “The way that you show up for te reo Māori makes your voice as powerful as it is beautiful.”
During his Album of the Year speech at the end of the night, Marlon Williams said, “This is not Māori music having its day, this is just a day of Māori music.”
Check out the full list of winners here.
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One hopes that some members of the NZ Government were present inside the Civic.
The government announced this week its intention to invest in te reo Māori by measures such as strengthening Māori broadcasting.
The 2026 Budget reportedly includes $48 million over the next four years to support the long-term sustainability of Māori broadcasting, as well as a further $10 million over five years to support Te Māori Tū.
“Alongside Budget 2026 investments in schools to support Māori medium teaching, these initiatives support te reo Māori which is one of the great taonga of this country,” Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said.
“The language connects us to our history, our identity, our whenua, and to one another. Budget 2026 invests in ensuring te reo Māori remains strong, visible and enduring for future generations.
“Together, these investments support the long-term strength of te reo Māori and help create new pathways for Māori storytelling, creativity, and cultural connections.”
Image: Marlon Williams at the 2026 AMA Credit: Stijl / Emma Beavis
Finance Minister Nicola Willis, however, was pushed on whether the Māori investment in the “tough love” budget is enough during a press conference earlier today (watch here).
On the 9th of the month, an all te reo lineup featuring Jordyn with a Why, MOHI, Geneva AM as well as South Auckland school group Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae Kapa Haka will perform songs from the Waiata Anthems album, as reimagined by Auckland Philharmonia. Find out more here.
