01 May 2024 - 0 Comments

Today marks the start of Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa 2024 (NZ Music Month), with Amplifying Aotearoa | Paorotia Aotearoa the key theme across this year’s event. The month of May will shine a light on those who are the heartbeat of our nation’s music scene, celebrating everyone who helps amplify music from Aotearoa.

This year’s Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa will look a little different, with a fresh sub-theme each week. Week one will see the amplification of people who make lives better through music, followed by week two, amplifying schools’ through education. Week three will amplify artists on the world stage, before week four, with innovation and new ways of doing things amplified. The month will close with week five, amplifying community and our local and independent champions.

There is something for everyone and many events and activities right across Aotearoa. Nationwide highlights include the Hawkes Bay Music Hub Gala on 1 May highlighting local music champions, Mai FM hosts Che Fu, Kings and DJ Sir Vere in Auckland on 4 May, a huge series of over 25 events across the Palmerston North CBD all month, Barry Saunders & Delaney Davidson talking about songwriting for Wairarapa Booktown on 11 May in Featherston, and month-long performance programmes in public libraries around the motu; starting with Taonga Pūoro - Te-Ata & Mana Sebualala at the Elma Turner Library in Nelson on the first day of May. NZ Post are also celebrating; issuing a commemorative stamp collection celebrating the AudioCulture #1 Classic album True Colours by Split Enz, and Kumeu Arts Centre are holding an exhibition of where resident artists have created LP and album covers for real or imagined bands or musicians.

Cath Andersen, NZ Music Commission, says: “NZ Music Month | Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa is an opportunity to celebrate our artists and music community, and the amazing music being made all over the country.There are some incredible and innovative artists, educators and businesses across our music sector, and more NZ artists than ever are reaching global audiences and making waves on the world stage. We look forward to sharing some of their stories throughout May.”

In a first-ever, the NZ Music Commission and City Rail Link Ltd have aligned to bring something extra special to help launch NZMM, with Aotearoa singer and beatmaker Geneva AM becoming the first ever artist to perform underground in the country’s largest transport infrastructure. Geneva AM performed waiata, including a cover of Pokarekare Ana and her new single Pikipiki, which is released today. To check out the performance and see the gallery of imagery, head to nzmusicmonth.co.nz.

City Rail Link Ltd’s CEO, Dr. Sean Sweeney comments: “We’re proud to partner with NZ Music Month and literally use our ‘platform’ as a stage to showcase a Kiwi artist. This year’s theme is Amplifying Aotearoa, and what better way to ‘Amplify’ than in a rail station under construction beneath Auckland’s streets? Geneva Alexander-Marsters is a phenomenal artist and also a major public transport advocate. Our stations are steeped in Māori culture both in design and names so to have a Te Reo singer perform in Te Waihorotiu is particularly special to us - we count ourselves pretty lucky to have had her come along to visit the project and lay down a few tracks of her own.”

An exciting range of community events are confirmed to take place around the country, from the smallest towns to the biggest cities across Aotearoa. Week one’s amplification of people who make lives better through music will include NZ Music T-Shirt Day. Kicking off on Friday 3rd May, Kiwis are encouraged to wear their favourite music t-shirt and donate to the MusicHelps appeal. The charity is using the power of music to change the lives of thousands of New Zealanders in need. Get involved and register a team at: https://www.nzmusictshirtday.org.nz/donate

The Ngā Manu Tīrairaka | Childrens’ Music Awards will return on Sunday 5th May at Tuning Fork. Hosted by Suzy Cato, the winners for the 2024 APRA Best Children’s Song - Preschool and Primary | He Manu Pīpī and He Pī Ka Rere, Recorded Music NZ Best Children’s Music Artist | Te Manu Taki Kerekahu o te Tau, NZ On Air Best Children’s Music Video | He Manu Tūteiand Kōkako Award for Best Children's Performer - as well as Baysting Prize for Children’s Champion - will all be announced at the awards event.

Week two celebrates ‘Amplifying schools through education’, with a host of activities and events happening in primary, intermediate and high schools nationwide, including Far North’s Got Talent auditions and the Musicians Mentoring in schools initiative which has long seen success and the likes of Laughton Kora, Mazbou Q, Julia Deans, Jazmine Mary and Joel Shadbolt who take part to help grow our future generations in music.

Celebrating the ‘Amplifying artists on the world stage’ theme for week three is the annual New Zealand showcase at The Great Escape in Brighton, UK from 15 - 18 May, with four Kiwi artists performing including Earth Tongue and Dartz. Week three will also see new music releases, including Please Go Wild, a fresh album release from Polite Company (a new project from former Mutton Birds bass player Alan Gregg), and a debut album from Thomas Powers (ex-The Naked and Famous), A Tyrant Crying in Private.

Amplified innovation and new ways of doing things is the theme for week four, including a special event at Wellington Museum where synthesizer maker Rohan Hill shares his garage start-up to global success story of the Deluge, an innovative synth produced in Pōneke. And lastly, the amplification of our local and community champions will close this year’s Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa along with the Aotearoa Music Awards on May 30, which will be available to be streamed live via RNZ and hosted by Jesse Mulligan and Kara Rickard.

Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa is run by the NZ Music Commission, with support from APRA AMCOS, Creative New Zealand, Independent Music NZ, the Māori Music Industry Coalition, MusicHelps, the Music Managers Forum, Music Producers Guild NZ Aotearoa, NZ On Air, OneMusic, Recorded Music NZ, Save Our Venues, SoundCheck Aotearoa, SOUNZ and Te Māngai Pāho. The purpose of Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa is to celebrate music from New Zealand, and the people who make it.

Check out Muzic.net.nz's NZ Music Month feature here.

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