​P A c i f i c     M U s i c     A w a R d s     t r u s t
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​PACIFIC MUSIC AWARDS - Celebrating Pacific Music
TAUTUA PROGRAMME  - ADVOCACY & SUPPORT FOR THE pACIFIC MUSIC COMMUNITY
​HIVA FOLAU VAKA  - rEVITALISING LANGUAGE THROUGH MUSIC

​The Pacific Music Awards Trust are dedicated to celebrating Pacific music and we are looking forward to the 2026 awards ceremony which will be held on Wednesday 12 August, Due Drop Events Centre, Manukau, Auckland, Aotearoa. 

Finalists for the 2026 Music Awards were officially announced at the Finalist Announcement event held on Monday 22 June at the Mangere Arts Centre.  The Pacific Music Awards welcomed and celebrated 33 artists confirmed as finalists, reflecting the depth of Pacific music with the diverse cultures, languages and genres represented.  For more  information, go to the Finalists page on our website.  All the finalists are now eligible for the SunPix People's Choice Award, voting is open now and closes 22 July - vote  now for your favourite Pacific artist.
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Over 2024 and 2025, the Trust worked on the Hiva Folau Vaka project, creating and recording new original songs in Pacific languages.  This is our legacy project, created to honour the 20th anniversary of the Pacific Music Awards.  It is our contribution to language revitalisation, with the first phase focusing on Vagahau Niue, Te Gagana Tokelau and Te Reo Maori Kuku Airani.  United as a family, the village of artists, producers and knowledge holders all came together with the common purpose to honour these languages and contribute to their revitalisation. A compilation album of all the songs from the project was released on 28 November 2025.  ​

​We thank and acknowledge the funding received from NZ On Air, which allowed the project to take place; the partnership with the Centre for Pacific Languages; the support from Big Pop Studios, Massey University, APRA|AMCOS and Universal Music.  Most of all we thank the artists, producers, knowledge holders, engineers and supporters who brought Hiva Folau Vaka to life.​

​Our Tautua Programme connects us with our families and community, bridging the time between the awards.  We are working to secure funding in order to confirm our future plans for the programme.

​For 21 years, the Pacific Music Awards have been celebrating our artists, songwriters, producers and music.  We have been able to do this through the support of sponsors and funders on behalf of our community.  Unfortunately the ground has shifted, with a number of factors impacting the financial sustainability of the awards, not to mention the fact that public arts funding has been significantly cut, so many of the agencies that have long backed Pacific music now have less to give.  This year, in amongst continuing to look for sponsorship, we're doing what our Pacific people have always done, turning to each other.  We need your support to raise funds and we have partnered with Koha a fundraising platform for this.  This platform was built in Aotearoa and 100% of your koha/donation will go to the Pacific Music Awards.  It's always humbling having to ask our community for support, when we know it's already challenging times for our people  Here is a link to our event with Koha:   https://app.koha.kiwi/events/2026-pacific-music-awards-pacific-music-awards-trust
We would be sincerely grateful for any contribution you can provide, which will allows us to continue to recognise and celebrate our amazing Pacific music community.
Fakafetai, Pacific Music Awards Trust

  
Contact us here:  [email protected]​ 

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