The Waiata Māori Music Awards have honoured a host of new names who are fast on the rise in New Zealand music.
The ceremony took place in Hastings on Friday night and saw Maisey Rika and Troy Kingi lead the pack, picking up four and two awards respectively.
Rika won Best Traditional Māori Album (Te Reo Māori), Best Māori Female Solo Artist, Best Song by a Māori Artist and the Best Māori Songwriter Award. And Kingi took out the awards for Best Māori Pop Artist and the Best Māori Male Solo Artist Award.
Rika said: "I believe the Waiata Māori Awards is a great kaupapa for our cultural identity, as Māori singing in Māori from a Māori perspective makes us unique to the rest of the world. It is our very own special point of difference naturally ingrained into our DNA and strongly influenced by our taiao, taha hinengaro, wairua, tinana.
"The Awards are an awesome platform for all or any of our artists that love and respect our reo Māori and our culture. I will always be here for kaupapa such as the Waiata Māori Awards. I feel at home here, not necessarily because of the Awards but because of the wairua in the room. He tau ngā tangata, he ngakau māhaki e poipoi ana tātau i a tātau."
Other winners included Wellington hip hop artist Rei (aka Callum Rei McDougall) who recently recorded an exclusive live performance with the Herald, in which he covered Not Many by Kiwi hip hop legend Scribe (above). He was named Best Māori Urban Artist on the night.
