The Silver Scrolls Collection — Celebrating 60 Years Of Songwriting Excellence

NZ On Screen's new Silver Scrolls Collection celebrates 60 years of New Zealand songwriting excellence, bringing together music videos from APRA Silver Scroll-winning songs spanning six decades — from Larry’s Rebels to Lorde.

First awarded in 1965, the Silver Scroll — presented by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) — is one of New Zealand's most prestigious music awards, recognising outstanding achievement in songwriting craft. Voted for by fellow songwriters, the award celebrates melody, lyrics, and composition rather than performance, production quality, or commercial success.

The Silver Scrolls Collection captures that legacy on screen — showcasing six decades of music videos that reflect the evolution of New Zealand songwriting and style. From 60s mod suits and 80s video-art experiments to the immersive storytelling of today's indie, pop, R&B clips, the collection charts how each era's songs found visual life.

Early gems include Larry's Rebels' 'Let's Think of Something', penned by Roger Skinner, The Fourmyula's 'Nature', by Wayne Mason, and John Hanlon's 'Lovely Lady' capturing the birth of local pop. By the 1990s and early 2000s, winners such as Bic Runga, King Kapisi, and Scribe and P-Money reflect an Aotearoa that had found its own voice — with the award increasingly recognising female songwriters and diverse musical traditions.

More recent winners like '35' by Ka Hao and Rob Ruha, and 'Kātuarehe' by Anna Coddington, Noema Te Hau III, Ruth Smith, and Kawiti Waetford, showcase how the Silver Scroll itself now increasingly recognises waiata reo Māori songwriters alongside the wider spectrum of Aotearoa songwriting — as distinctive, diverse, and innovative as ever.

Reflecting on the award's history, Anthony Healey, Head of New Zealand Operations at APRA, says the Silver Scroll has always held a special place in the nation's cultural story:

"The APRA Silver Scroll is … growing in scope as the audiences of Aotearoa do the same, shedding that once firmly held historical 'cultural cringe'. Now a greater reflection of [our] music communities … the award has grown to embrace songwriters from indie upstarts to seasoned veterans; from Lorde and Joel Little, to Rob Ruha and Ka Hao."

The launch of NZ On Screen's Silver Scrolls Collection comes ahead of this year's awards ceremony, taking place on Wednesday 29 October at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

https://www.nzonscreen.com/collection/the-silver-scrolls-collection

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