Opshop win Silver Scroll Award

Opshop at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Opshop's One Day was judged the song of the year at tonight's APRA Silver Scroll Awards in an ceremony which also honoured the Topp Twins for their musical career.

The band's melancholy ballad - which was used in a NZ Post ad campaign - was voted the best by the APRA membership of local songwriters.

The finalists included songs by Liam Finn, Anika Moa, the Phoenix Foundation and Elemeno P.

The award was presented by prime minister Helen Clark to the band led by Jason Kerrison at the Auckland Town Hall event.

In the night's other big award, Jools and Lynda Topps were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame where they join last year's inaugural inductees Jordan Luck and Johnny Devlin.

The country-singing comedy-performing sisters who started performing in the early 80s, mark their 50th birthday this year - an occasion made more poignant by Jools's battle with breast cancer in recent years.

Among other honours, the SOUNZ award for contemporary classical composition went to Chris Gendall for Wax Lyrical, an octet for flute, clarinet, harp, piano, and string quartet.

Ruia Aperahama again won the Maioha award for Te Reo songwrititing

Opshop and One Day picked up another prize for most performed work in New Zealand

The evening also included a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Mahinarangi Tocker by an ensemble including Shona Laing, Hinewehi Mohi and Avondale College's choir and kapa haka group performing her song Forever at the beginning of the night.

As has been the Silver Scroll tradtion, the finalist songs were covered live by a range of other acts.

The night finished with a performance by the Chills, the Dunedin band led through many line-ups by Martin Phillipps for 25-plus years. Playing their 1990 classic Heavenly Pop Hit, the band was accompanied by the Cornerstone Bell Ringers, the Auckland Youth Choir, organist James Tibbles - and two rhythmic gymnasts.