Marlon Williams Leads the Field at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards with Seven Nominations

Marlon Williams has emerged as the standout name among the finalists for this year’s Aotearoa Music Awards, earning seven nominations across major categories for his first fully te reo Māori album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka. The announcement positions Williams as one of the most significant names in a competitive field ahead of the ceremony, which takes place on 28 May at The Civic in Auckland.

Williams, who won the 2025 Silver Scroll — New Zealand’s most prestigious individual songwriting honour — is nominated for Album of the Year, Single of the Year for “Aua Atu Rā,” and Artist of the Year, among other categories. He is also listed as a finalist for Best Producer alongside collaborator Mark Perkins, reflecting the breadth of his involvement in the album’s creation. The nominations arrive at a significant moment in Williams’ career, with the Christchurch-born artist having announced he will take a break from music after nearly two decades in the industry.

Te Whare Tīwekaweka, which translates roughly as “the messy house” or “the house of disorder,” represents a bold creative turn for Williams, who has long been known for his English-language folk and country-inflected songwriting. The album’s embrace of te reo Māori as its primary language has been widely praised as both artistically accomplished and culturally meaningful, and the nominations across multiple major categories suggest the industry has taken note.

Lorde, who took home the Single of the Year award in 2025 for her breakthrough return, is back in contention across several categories this year. Her album Virgin earns a spot among Album of the Year contenders, while her single “What Was That,” which reached number one on the New Zealand Top 40, is nominated for Single of the Year. She is also listed for Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist, in what looks set to be another significant night for one of New Zealand’s most internationally recognised musicians.

Country artist Tami Neilson, who has won the Best Country Music Artist award seven times, is again in the running for that category alongside a nomination for Best Solo Artist. Her album Neon Cowgirl is up for Album of the Year, and the title track, which features Neil Finn, is nominated for Single of the Year. The collaboration between Neilson and Finn is one of the more celebrated musical pairings in recent New Zealand recording history, and its presence among the finalists will draw considerable attention on the night.

Tom Scott has secured three nominations including Album of the Year for ANITYA, Best Solo Artist, and Best Soul and RnB Artist. Scott has been a consistent presence in the upper echelons of New Zealand music for many years, and another strong showing at the Aotearoa Music Awards would consolidate his reputation as one of the country’s most versatile and enduring performers.

The Album of the Year category carries a particularly diverse field this year. Alongside Williams, Lorde, Neilson, and Scott, the finalists include Geneva AM, Kaylee Bell, Ladi6, the group MĀ, MOKOMOKAI, Reb Fountain, and The Beths. The breadth of genres represented reflects the awards’ ongoing commitment to recognising excellence across the full spectrum of New Zealand music, rather than favouring any single dominant style or commercial register.

Single of the Year is similarly competitive. In addition to Williams and Lorde, the category features entries from Alien Weaponry, Fazerdaze, Paige, The Phoenix Foundation, and There’s A Tuesday, among others. Several of these artists are longstanding figures in the local music scene, while others are emerging names whose inclusion among the finalists signals a healthy flow of new talent entering the field.

The Aotearoa Music Awards have long served as one of the most important annual occasions for celebrating local music, and this year’s finalists suggest the ceremony will be closely watched both within the industry and by the wider public. The event has in recent years attracted significant controversy as well as celebration — a sign of how seriously it is taken and how much is at stake for the artists involved.

The inclusion of categories specifically honouring te reo Māori music and Māori artists continues to reflect the awards’ acknowledgement that New Zealand music is not a single thing but a range of living traditions, each deserving of recognition on its own terms. Williams’ sweeping nominations across mainstream and specialist categories suggest that te reo Māori songwriting is increasingly being considered not as a separate category but as an integral part of the broader conversation about what New Zealand music can be and where it is heading.

The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards ceremony takes place at The Civic in Auckland on 28 May. The full list of finalists has been published by RNZ.

If you have thoughts on this year’s finalists or predictions for who should take home the major awards, share them in the comments below.