Pacific Music Awards
An annual New Zealand awards ceremony recognising achievement in Pacific music.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music awards programme dedicated to recognising Pacific artists and Pacific musical expression. The event focuses on musicians working in or influenced by the musical traditions of Pacific communities, including Cook Islands, Fijian, Niuean, Samoan, Tongan, Tokelauan and Tuvaluan cultures. It also reflects the breadth of contemporary Pacific music in New Zealand through urban, hip-hop, soul and R&B, roots and reggae, gospel, language, video, production, streaming and radio categories. The programme was established by the Pacific Music Awards Committee, formed in 2004 to create a dedicated awards platform for New Zealand's Pacific music community. Its first ceremony took place in 2005 as part of the Pasifika Festival at Western Springs in Auckland. From 2006, the event operated separately from the festival and moved to the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau, later renamed the Vodafone Events Centre. This development gave the awards a distinct identity while retaining their Auckland and South Auckland cultural base. The awards combine competitive categories with honours that recognise wider contribution. Recurring distinctions have included Best Pacific Music Album, Best Pacific Female and Male Artist, Best Pacific Group, Best Pacific Song, Best Pacific Language, Best Pacific Music Video, Best Producer, Best International Pacific Artist, radio and streaming awards, the People's Choice Award, a Special Recognition Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Phillip Fuemana Most Promising Artist Award was introduced in 2006 to support emerging talent and commemorate producer and community figure Phil Fuemana. The programme has periodically operated under naming-rights partnerships. It was branded the S3 Pacific Music Awards from 2008 to 2010, the Polynesian Blue Pacific Music Awards in 2011, the Pasefika Proud Pacific Music Awards from 2013, and the Vodafone Pacific Music Awards in 2014 and 2015. These changes illustrate the event's reliance on sponsorship and community partnerships while its core purpose remained stable. Category structures have also evolved, with gospel, language, video, international, producer, radio and streaming awards appearing, disappearing or being revised in different years. The Best Pacific Music Album award has a connection with the New Zealand Music Awards administered by Recorded Music New Zealand, formerly associated with RIANZ. It was previously known as the Polynesian Music Tui and was moved to the Pacific Music Awards presentation in 2005, while the winning artist continued to receive recognition at the main New Zealand Music Awards later in the year. The awards are administered by the Pacific Music Awards Trust, a charitable trust registered in 2008. Its stated purpose is to acknowledge the success of Pacific artists, promote excellence in Pacific music and encourage young Pacific musicians to pursue high achievement. The event therefore functions not only as a prize ceremony but also as a cultural institution supporting visibility, professional recognition and intergenerational aspiration within New Zealand's Pacific music community.
History
The Pacific Music Awards grew from an organisational effort to create a dedicated New Zealand platform for Pacific musicians. The Pacific Music Awards Committee was established in 2004, and the first ceremony followed in March 2005 at Auckland's Pasifika Festival. Hip-hop artist Tha Feelstyle was among the inaugural ceremony's leading winners, while the first Lifetime Achievement Award was presented posthumously to producer and community figure Phil Fuemana. In 2006 the ceremony separated from the Pasifika Festival and moved to the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau. The move coincided with New Zealand Music Month and helped establish the awards as a standalone industry and community event. The Phillip Fuemana Most Promising Artist Award was introduced that year, creating a formal pathway for recognising emerging artists. Between 2008 and 2010, naming-rights sponsorship produced the S3 Pacific Music Awards branding. During this period, the People's Choice category was introduced, and Best Pacific Gospel Album was added in 2009. In 2010, the People's Choice result was not awarded because voting irregularities compromised the outcome. A radio-airplay honour was introduced during the same period. The 2011 ceremony used the Polynesian Blue name and introduced Best Pacific Language. In 2012 the event returned to the shorter Pacific Music Awards name, while the radio-airplay category was temporarily removed. The 2013 ceremony adopted Pasefika Proud sponsorship, used the theme 'honouring Pacific women', restored the radio-airplay category and added Best Pacific Music Video. Aaradhna was a leading winner that year. The event became the Vodafone Pacific Music Awards in 2014 and 2015. The 2014 ceremony marked the awards' tenth anniversary and introduced Best International Pacific Artist. In 2015, the radio-airplay award returned and Sol3 Mio received a Special Recognition Award. The 2016 programme restored a Pacific gospel category and added Best Producer. Subsequent ceremonies continued to adapt to changes in Pacific popular music, with awards for hip-hop, soul and R&B, roots and reggae, language, streaming and international achievement. The 2017 to 2022 ceremonies demonstrate the programme's expanding scope. Winners included artists and groups such as KINGS, Aaradhna, Three Houses Down, Tomorrow People, Ladi6, Noah Slee, Jawsh 685, Olivia Foa'i, Church & AP, Diggy Dupé, Poetik, Tree and SWIDT. Recognition also extended to cultural and community contributors, including Opetaia Foa'i, the Otara Music & Arts Centre, Punialava'a, Daniel Rae Costello and Jawsh 685. The Pacific Music Awards Trust, registered as a charitable trust in 2008, provides the organisational framework for the event and states a mission of celebrating Pacific music while encouraging young Pacific musicians to pursue excellence.
- 2016
Best Producer category added
[1]The awards expanded recognition beyond performers by adding a dedicated producer category.
- 2014
Tenth-anniversary ceremony
[1]The tenth anniversary was held under Vodafone sponsorship and included Best International Pacific Artist.
- 2013
Pasefika Proud sponsorship and video category
[1]The ceremony adopted Pasefika Proud branding and introduced Best Pacific Music Video.
- 2011
Best Pacific Language category introduced
[1]A dedicated language award was added while the event operated under the Polynesian Blue name.
- 2008
Pacific Music Awards Trust registered
[1]A charitable trust was registered to manage the event and support its cultural and developmental mission.
- 2008
S3 naming-rights era begins
[1]The ceremony adopted the S3 Pacific Music Awards name for a three-year sponsorship period.
- 2006
Ceremony becomes independent from Pasifika Festival
[1]The awards moved to the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre and added the Phillip Fuemana Most Promising Artist Award.
- 2005
First Pacific Music Awards ceremony
[1]The inaugural ceremony took place at Pasifika Festival in Western Springs, Auckland.
- 2004
Pacific Music Awards Committee established
[1]The committee was formed to establish and operate an annual awards event for New Zealand's Pacific music community.
Products and positioning
A specialist New Zealand music awards platform centred on Pacific identity, culture, language and contemporary musical achievement.
Music awards event · 2005
Pacific Music Awards ceremony
The central annual event honours Pacific artists active in New Zealand across performance, songwriting, recording, production, music video, radio and streaming. Its categories cover both Pacific-language and contemporary popular music, connecting cultural identity with the commercial and creative realities of New Zealand's music industry.
Emerging-artist award · 2006
Phillip Fuemana Most Promising Artist Award
An award for an emerging Pacific individual or group, introduced in 2006 in memory of producer and community figure Phil Fuemana. It represents the awards' developmental role and their goal of encouraging younger Pacific musicians to pursue high achievement.
Special honour · 2005
Lifetime Achievement Award
A non-competitive honour for an individual or group whose work has made a significant contribution to Pacific music. Recipients have included artists, producers and wider cultural contributors whose influence extends beyond a single release or performance.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Honouring Pacific Women
New Zealand
The 2013 ceremony used 'honouring Pacific women' as its theme, alongside Pasefika Proud naming-rights sponsorship.
Outcome. The ceremony highlighted women's contribution within Pacific music, with Aaradhna emerging as the leading award winner.
Brand decisions
2014
Best International Pacific Artist introducedOtherBackground
Pacific artists increasingly operated across New Zealand and international markets.
Action taken
A dedicated international artist category was added to the awards programme.
Aftermath
The category became part of the programme's wider recognition of Pacific artists working beyond New Zealand.
2010
People's Choice Award withheldOtherBackground
An irregularity in the public voting process was identified.
Action taken
The People's Choice Award was not presented for the year.
Aftermath
The incident is recorded as a voting-result issue rather than a broader scandal, and the category appeared again in later ceremonies.
Sources2 sources
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