Dame Lynda Topp gave a powerful and emotional speech at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards (AMA).
Last weekend, Dame Jools, Lynda’s twin sister, passed away after a battle with breast cancer. As per RNZ, Lynda revealed that Jools left behind a letter that asked her: “If you get a chance Lynda, could you thank New Zealand for me?”
Lynda got her chance — and then some — at tonight’s AMA ceremony at Auckland’s Civic Theatre.
She took to the stage shortly after a beautiful country music collaborative performance featuring Tami Neilson, Kaylee Bell, Mel Parsons, and more.
“It’s going to be hard to say a few words to you all,” Lynda said at first, bravely fighting back tears, but she quickly found her voice.
“I performed with my sister for over 40 years. Being a twin is such a beautiful thing to be. Not once in that 40 years did we ever rehearse,” she said to laughter from the crowd.
Lynda soon had the crowd on its feet.
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“We need support for artists in this country. We need a government that says the arts is more important than a defence budget! Way more!” she shouted to roars of approval.
“I see young artists struggling, not because they’ve got a gig on Friday night, but because they’re trying to put some sort of crazy… arts submission to get a few lousy dollars from the government,” she said. “This is not fair, it’s not fair.
“We are not defined by a government, we are not defined by politicians, we are defined by people and our culture and our art.”
Lynda then singled out Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith, who was reportedly at the ceremony.
“I’d like you to take a message back to Wellington. I did a speed read on the Budget this afternoon, [and] there doesn’t appear to be any money for music, but in big, big letters in the top of the news — $2.1 billion for defence. What the f***?” she said pointedly.
Would Lynda be worried if Aotearoa was ever invaded? Probably not.
“If you give it [the defence spending] to us, you put Alien Weaponry up the front, and you put Dick Move right beside ’em, and you put Hori Shaw on a horse and behind them, and I’m going to be at the top of the hill. Ain’t nobody going to get through us, baby,” she said.
Lynda ended, of course, with another mention of her late, great sister.
“Tonight in honour of my beautiful twin sister, who I will never ever stop missing, be strong, never give up, play your instrument loud and sing at the top of your lungs and remember that music makes us human,” she told the crowd.
In 2008, Lynda and Jools were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. Earlier this month, they received the 2026 Country Music Honours for Contribution to New Zealand Country Music.
