Waiata Māori Music Awards Announces Iconic Awards Recipients

MEDIA RELEASE
August 22, 2019

Waiata Māori Music Awards Announces Iconic Awards Recipients

The Waiata Māori Music Awards to be presented on September 13 will include four special awards acknowledging the career contributions of respected musicians from Māoridom.

Waiata Maori Music Awards Iconic recipients:

Trevor Horowaewae Maxwell - Keeper of Tradition | Kaitiaki Tikanga Pūoru
Abe Phillips - Lifetime Contribution to Māori Music | Mauriora o Te Ao Pūoru Māori
Pixie Williams - Lifetime Contribution to Māori Music | Mauriora o Te Ao Pūoru Māori
Jarrod Huirama - Music Industry Award | Ahumahi Pūoru

Awards executive director Ellison Huata says, “The Waiata Māori Music Awards celebrate excellence in Māori music and acknowledge and honour the keepers, teachers, promoters, creators and performers of Māori music.

“These four recipients represent the highest achievement in their fields from composition to performance and production.”

Keepers of Tradition Award recipient Trevor Horowaewae Maxwell is honoured for his lifelong commitment to kapa haka, and service as tutor and leader of Ngāti Rangiwewehi and lifelong member of Te Matatini, as well as his contribution to Te Ao Māori and Māori Tourism within New Zealand.

Lifetime Contribution to Māori Music Award recipient Abe Phillips is honoured posthumously for leading popular Hastings-based band The Shadracks in the 60s and 70s before forging a solo career in Sydney.

Lifetime Contribution to Māori Music Award recipient Pixie Williams sang ‘Blue Smoke’, the first local song ever recorded in New Zealand. She recorded 13 songs in the first two years that recording was available in New Zealand, and she had two hits at that time which were retrospectively awarded Triple Platinum for Blue Smoke, and single Platinum for Let’s talk it Over in 2011. She is also being inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame this year.

Contribution to Māori Music Industry Award recipient Jarrod Huirama is also recognised posthumously, for his service as the Music Director for the Waiata Māori Music Awards and for the Rātana Pā Haahi commemoration of T.W Ratana. He was a lifetime member of the Kahurangi NZ Māori Dance Theatre as the sound engineer and tutor of musicianship, mentoring Māori students in sound production, music theory and practical music at the Takitimu Performing Arts School Trust, Hastings.

The Waiata Māori Music Awards will be presented at a red carpet extravaganza ceremony at Club Hastings on Friday, September 13. Tickets are available from iTicket

The ceremony will be livestreamed on Waiata Māori Music Awards Facebook and broadcast live by Awards media partner Radio Kahungunu.

Waiata Māori Music Awards FINALISTS 2019

Best Māori Female Solo Artist
1. Amba Holly
2. Theia
3. La Coco
4. JaLeace

Best Māori Male Solo Artist
1. Tipene
2. Israel Starr
3. PERE

Best Traditional Album Te Reo Māori
1. Te Kākano – Te Kākano
2. Grove Roots – Waka
3. Maaka Fiso – Ngaro

Best Māori Pop Album
1. L.A.B. – L.A.B. II
2. Te Kākano – Te Kākano
3. Tipene – Tautoko

Best Māori Urban Rap/Hiphop/RnB Album
1. Tipene – Tautoko
2. Grove Roots – Waka
3. Rugged and Wylde – The King and the Chief

Best Māori Urban Roots Album
1. Grove Roots – Waka
2. NLC – Know Your Roots

Best Song by a Māori Artist
1. Katchafire – Fyah In The Trenches
2. Te Kākano – Tōrea
3. L.A.B. – L.A.B. II
4. RunTingz Family – Runtingz Anthem

Best Māori songwriter
1. Katchafire
2. L.A.B.
3. Te Kākano
4. Amba Holly

Best Music Video by a Māori Artist
1. Grove Roots – Aotearoa
2. L.A.B. – Baby Will You Let Me
3. Tipene – Nanny's House
4. La Coco – Back When
5. Theia – Candy

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