Taite Music Prize

The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. It features the same-named prize awarded for the best album from New Zealand.

Taite Music Prize
Awarded for	Best album from New Zealand
Sponsored by	PPNZ Music Licensing
Country	New Zealand
Presented by	Independent Music New Zealand
Reward(s)	$NZ10,000 - $12,500
First awarded	2010-
Website	http://www.indies.co.nz/taite-music-prize.html

The prize is named after respected New Zealand music journalist and broadcaster Dylan Taite, who died in 2003. The Taite Music Prize was established in 2009 in his honour by Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ) in conjunction with the Taite family. The first prize was awarded in 2010. The Taite takes its inspiration from successful international prizes such as the Mercury Prize in the UK and the Australian Music Prize.

The Taite Music Prize

The award carries a cash prize of NZ$12,500 and sponsors' prizes. It is primarily sponsored by Recorded Music NZ (formerly known as PPNZ Music Licensing). The award is judged on originality, creativity, and musicianship displayed on an album, rather than on sales or commercial factors.

The prize shortlist is decided by a group of IMNZ members and 10 outside judges, including musicians, music journalists and music industry personnel. The prize winner is decided by a 10-person judging panel chosen by IMNZ.

Other awards

In 2013 a second award was added to the Taite Music Prize event. The Independent Music NZ Classic Record award honours a previously released record that is now considered a classic, and the award aims to "acknowledge New Zealand’s rich history of making fine records that continue to inspire us and that also define who we are." Like the Taite Music Prize, it is selected by music media and music industry specialists. The inaugural recipient of the Classic Record award was the Gordons' 1981 album Gordons.

In 2017, a third award was added to the Taites. The Best Independent Debut Award honours the best debut release of an artist that is on a member label of Independent Music New Zealand. The winner receives a $2000 cash prize and a performance slot in the annual Summer In The Square festival. This prize was awarded for the first time in 2017 to Merk for Swordfish.

An Outstanding Music Journalism Award was added in 2022. The winner receives a $2500 cash prize. The first recipient was RNZ music journalist Tony Stamp. The 2023 winner was Namnita Kumar and Nadia Freeman, for the Eastern Sound Stories Podcast. The 2024 winners were Cushla Dillon and Andrew Moore for their King Loser documentary.

History

In 2014, Lorde, the winner of the Taite Music Prize, asked that the $10,000 cash prize, studio time and other sponsors' prizes be split among the seven other nominees, saying, "I think everyone is kind of sick of me winning stuff at the moment and other people are in more in need of the funds and exposure right now."

Brothers Ruban and Kody Nielson, formerly of The Mint Chicks, have each won the Taite Music Prize for different music projects - Ruban as Unknown Mortal Orchestra in 2012 and Kody as Silicon in 2016. Kody was also nominated in 2013 for OPOSSUM.

Multiple nominations

A record four nominations have gone to Tami Neilson, and three each to @Peace, David Dallas, Lawrence Arabia, The Phoenix Foundation, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Aldous Harding, Marlon Williams, The Beths, and Mermaidens. Of those, Aldous Harding, Lawrence Arabia and Unknown Mortal Orchestra have won the prize, once each. On top of three nominations with @Peace, Tom Scott won the 2019 award with Avantdale Bowling Club and was nominated in 2013 with Home Brew and 2024 with Run It Back .

Winners and shortlisted nominees

Ladi6, winner of the 2011 prize.

Ruban Nielson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, winner of the 2012 prize.

Lorde, winner of the 2014 prize.

Year	Winner	Shortlisted nominees	Ref(s)
2010	Lawrence Arabia – Chant Darling	The Checks – Alice by the Moon David Dallas – Something Awesome Kerretta – Vilayer Shapeshifter – The System Is a Vampire
2011	Ladi6 – The Liberation Of...	Dudley Benson – Forest: Songs by Hirini Melbourne Connan Mockasin – Please Turn Me Into the Snat Julia Deans – Modern Fables Die! Die! Die! – Form The Naked and Famous – Passive Me, Aggressive You The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo Street Chant – Means
2012	Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra	Andrew Keoghan – Arctic Tales Divide Beastwars – Beastwars David Dallas – The Rose Tint She’s So Rad – In Circles The Bats – Free All the Monsters Tiny Ruins – Some Were Meant For The Sea
2013	SJD – Elastic Wasteland	@Peace – @Peace Aaradhna – Treble & Reverb Collapsing Cities – Strangers Again Home Brew – Home Brew Lawrence Arabia – The Sparrow OPOSSOM – Electric Hawaii
2014	Lorde – Pure Heroine	Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II Beastwars – Blood Becomes Fire Sheep, Dog & Wolf – Egospect The Phoenix Foundation – Fandango David Dallas – Falling Into Place @peace – Girl Songs Jonathan Bree – The Primrose Path
2015	Jakob – Sines	@peace – @peace and the Plutonian Noise Symphony Aldous Harding – Aldous Harding Delaney Davidson – Swim Down Low Electric Wire Hustle – Love Can Prevail Grayson Gilmour – Infinite Life! Kimbra – The Golden Echo Tiny Ruins – Brightly Painted One Mulholland – Stop & Start Again Tami Neilson – Dynamite!
2016	Silicon – Personal Computer	Anthonie Tonnon – Successor Marlon Williams – Marlon Williams Nadia Reid – Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams Princess Chelsea – The Great Cybernetic Depression SJD – Saint John Divine Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love
2017	Street Chant – Hauora	Aaradhna – Brown Girl Hopetoun Brown – Look So Good Lawrence Arabia – Absolute Truth Leisure – LEISURE Lontalius – I'll Forget 17 Pacific Heights – The Stillness Shayne P Carter – Offsider
2018	Aldous Harding – Party	Nadia Reid – Preservation Grayson Gilmour – Otherness Fazerdaze – Morningside TEEKS – The Grapefruit Skies EP Kane Strang – Two Hearts and No Brain Mermaidens – Perfect Body The Bads – Losing Heroes
2019	Avantdale Bowling Club – Avantdale Bowling Club	Alien Weaponry – Tū Jonathan Bree – Sleepwalking Julia Deans – We Light Fire Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love Mel Parsons – Glass Heart Tami Neilson – SASSAFRASS! The Beths – Future Me Hates Me Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food Wax Chattels – Wax Chattels
2020	Troy Kingi – Holy Colony Burning Acres	Aldous Harding – Designer Beastwars – IV JessB – New Views L.A.B. – L.A.B. III Lawrence Arabia – Lawrence Arabia's Singles Club Louis Baker – Open Mermaidens – Look Me In The Eye Miss June – Bad Luck Party Tiny Ruins – Olympic Girls
2021	Reb Fountain – Reb Fountain	Anna Coddington – Beams L.A.B – L.A.B IV Nadia Reid – Out Of My Province Ria Hall – Manawa Wera Tami Neilson – Chickaboom! The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers The Phoenix Foundation – Friend Ship Troy Kingi – The Ghost of Freddie Cesar Wax Chattels – Clot
2022	Anthonie Tonnon – Leave Love Out of This	Dianne Swann – The War On Peace of Mind French For Rabbits – The Overflow Lips – I Don't Know Why I Do Anything Luke Buda – BUDA Reb Fountain – IRIS Sheep, Dog & Wolf – Two-Minds Team Dynamite – Respect the Process Troy Kingi – Black Sea Golden Ladder Vera Ellen – It's Your Birthday
2023	Princess Chelsea – Everything Is Going To Be Alright	Aldous Harding – Warm Chris Avantdale Bowling Club – Trees Erny Belle – Venus Is Home Fazerdaze – Break! Hans Pucket – No Drama Marlon Williams – My Boy Tami Neilson – Kingmaker TE KAAHU – Te Kaahu O Rangi The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field
2024	Vera Ellen – Ideal Home Noise	Dick Move – Wet Ebony Lamb – Ebony Lamb Erny Belle – Not Your Cupid Home Brew – Run It Back Mermaidens – Mermaidens Shepherd's Reign – Ala Mai Tiny Ruins – Ceremony Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V Tom Lark – Brave Star

Independent Music NZ Classic Record award

Year	Winner	Record	Label	Year of release	Ref(s)
2013	The Gordons	Gordons	Gordons	1981
2014	Various artists	AK79	Ripper Records	1979
2015	Herbs	What's Be Happen?	Warrior Records	1981
2016	Upper Hutt Posse	"E Tu"	Jayrem Records	1988
2017	The Clean	Boodle Boodle Boodle	Flying Nun Records	1981
2018	Headless Chickens	Stunt Clown	Flying Nun Records	1988
2019	Moana and the Moahunters	Tahi	Southside Records	1993
2020	Shona Laing	South	Pagan Records	1987
2021	Pātea Māori Club	"Poi E"	Maui Records	1983
2022	Alan Jansson	Proud: An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation	Huh Records	1994
2023	Micronism	Inside a quiet mind	Kog Transmissions	1998
2024	Look Blue Go Purple	Compilation	Flying Nun Records	1991

Best Independent Debut Award

Year	Winner	Album	Ref(s)
2017	Merk	Swordfish
2018	The Miltones	The Miltones
2019	Alien Weaponry	Tū
2020	Repulsive Woman	Relief
2021	Na Noise	Waiting For You
2022	Jazmine Mary	The Licking of a Tangerine
2023	TE KAAHU	Te Kaahu O Rangi
2024	JuJuLipps	Get That Shot

External links

• Taite Music Prize (Independent Music NZ)