Teeks, whose real name is Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi, grew up in Opononi and took the New Zealand music scene by storm when he released his debut EP The Grapefruit Skies earlier this year.
He gave a stunning live performance of his new single Never Be Apart at the award ceremony on Thursday night that wowed the audience, including Ms Ardern, who was there to present the People's Choice award to Lorde.
Teeks also gave his acceptance speech in te reo Maori.
After the event Ms Ardern jumped on Instagram to document the night, posting a picture Teeks and gushing over his performance.
"Feeling very lucky to have made it to the NZ Music Awards tonight to hear talent like this - the amazing Teeks!" the Prime Minister posted.
New Zealand international star Lorde swept up at the awards, claiming six Tuis in Auckland.
In his review of the event NZ Herald deputy head of entertainment Chris Schultz said Lorde rightly cleaned up, but he reserved special praise for Teeks.
"But, if you can, try and forget about the Lorde factor for a minute. Because we got to see the start of something. It might have been a subtle shimmer, but look closer and you'll see a star who is getting ready to shine," Schultz wrote.
"That would be Teeks, who performed his single Never Be Apart with the poise and grace of someone who has woken up every single day of his life and eaten a combination of Motown and Frank Sinatra records for breakfast.
"Teeks took home just one award last night. But when Kanoa Lloyd announced him as the winner, it resulted it one of the night's only surprise moments as he was greeted on stage by an impromptu haka.
"His acceptance speech, humble and purposeful, was spoken all in te reo Maori. Right now, Teeks only has one release to his name (The Grapefruit Skies). The cover art doesn't show his face, but you'll know it soon enough. At just 23, this feels like just the start of a very long story, one that will be told in its own time."
