Alex Casey recaps the highlights of the Aotearoa Music Awards 2026, including a standing ovation for Lynda Topp and Stan Walker’s toilet snafu.
Last night the Civic Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau hosted the 61st Aotearoa Music Awards, a celebration of the last year in local music to cap off the end of Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa, New Zealand Music Month. Hosted by RNZ’s Kara Rickard and comedian Tom Sainsbury, the evening had all manner of glittering stars present including Suzy Cato, Troy Kingi and Erin Simpson, and I’m told by a veteran attendee that it was easily “the most emo/special ever”. Here are some of the moments that made it so.
Lynda Topp unleashed a blistering battle cry
Last night will likely be remembered for an electric seven-minute speech from Dame Lynda Topp, delivered less than a week after her twin sister Jools passed away from cancer. Following an ensemble tribute performance of ‘Untouchable Girls’ from the likes of Tami Neilson, Reb Fountain and Kaylee Bell, Topp took the stage in dark glasses to the first of several standing ovations. “Its going to be hard to say a few words to you all,” she said. “I’ve cried for a whole week, and a year before that, and another year to come.”
Reflecting on 40 years of performing alongside her sister, without a single rehearsal between them, Topp emphasised the importance of keeping local live music venues alive and providing better funding for young artists. “We need support for artists in this country. We need a government that says the arts is more important than a defence budget,” she said, referencing the $27m cut to the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage and the $1.6bn boost to defence announced in the budget yesterday. “What the fuck?”
“I see young artists struggling not because they’ve got a gig on Friday night, but because they are trying to put through some crazy motherfucking arts submission to get a few lousy dollars.”
She continued. “If someone invades Aotearoa, what are we going to do? We’ve got three tanks and two of them are set in concrete in Waiouru.” Directing a message straight to “Mr Goldstein” [Paul Goldsmith, in attendance], Topp then laid down a rousing battle cry. “You give it [the $1.6 billion] to us. You put Alien Weaponry up the front and you put Dick Move right in beside them, and you put Hori Shaw on a horse in behind them and I’m going to be at the top of the hill – ain’t nobody going to get through us baby!”
Everyone appeared to be up and down out of their seats like whack-a-moles throughout the searing speech, where Topp closed out with this: “Tonight, in honour of my beautiful twin sister who I will never ever ever stop missing – be strong, never give up, play your instrument loud and sing at the top of your lungs. Remember that music makes us human.”
But wait, there was more
That was not the the only reference to the government over the course of the night. Paying her own tribute to Jools Topp, Tami Neilson thanked the Topp Twins for “their activism, their fearlessness and their deep sense of justice” over their careers. “What would they say about some Temu MAGA definition of a man and a woman?” she pondered, referencing NZ First’s recent bill. “Queer, trans and non-binary people have existed since the dawn of time, so love your neighbour as you love yourself, and mind your own damn business,” Neilson concluded.
Later on in the evening MĀ, who won best alternative artist, also shouted out the coalition government during her live performance of ‘TrapsJam’. “Luxon, what you doing brother? Seymour, what you doing bruv? Winston, what you doin’?” she sang. “What you doin’? Where you taking me? Where you taking us? Where you taking me?”
Marlon Williams cleaned house
Taking out album of the year for Te Whare Tīwekaweka, single of the year for ‘Aua Atu Tā’ and best solo artist, it was a very good night for Marlon Williams and his very good embroidered suit. He appeared visibly emotional as the kapa haka roopu from Te Kura Kaupapa o Hoani Waititi Marae honoured him during the final prize of the night. “I’m absolutely humbled by what a beautiful night this has been,” he said. “I was already fucked before that.”
Acknowledging Lynda Topp for “speaking in the wake of your grief”, Williams also brought out his band the Yarra Benders and yarned about the importance of going on tour. “Live music is the way, it’s the one,” he said. With so many te reo Māori artists winning awards and performing over the course of the evening, from Alien Weaponry to TAWAZ, and his own album Te Whare Tīwekaweka the first te reo Māori album to debut at #1, he acknowledged the rise not as a trend, but as how things should be.
“This is not Māori music having its day,” he said. “This is just a day in Māori music.”
Lorde beamed in from Cushion Town
Accepting two awards for best pop artist and best international achievement, it certainly looks like someone has upgraded from “a chair and a bed” if you know what I mean.
No lectern, but so many phones
“You can tell they got no funding for arts because they cut the podium out,” joked Tom Scott while picking up the award for best soul/RnB album for Anitya. Earlier that night, Marlon Williams too had struggled with the lack of furnishings for award winners. “Where’s my lectern,” he begged. “Where do I put my phone?!” The answer, as artists proved time and time again, was to simply hold their phone up to the heavens and read from the Notes app as if it were an ancient scroll. Sign of the times? Yes. Hate it? Yes.
Fat Freddy’s Drop became Aotearoa chart icons
And the award was presented to them by promoter Brett Eccles, dressed up as what can only be described as Colonel Sanders going to the gym.
The hosts had just one (!) outfit change
Speaking of outfits, there is no stronger indication that we are in economic hell than the reduction in host outfit changes from FOUR last year to just ONE this year. After half time, Kara Rickard swapped her luxe purple gown for a sheer bedazzled number, and Tom Sainsbury exchanged his glittering badges for an exquisite corsage.
MĀ summed up being ‘alternative’
“Alternative feels pretty crack up,” said the winner of best alternative artist. “It feels like what I’m like when I go to Christmas with my family – I’m that cousin.”
Te Wehi kept things short and sweet
Te Wehi preferred to let his sublime cowboy hat do the talking when he won best roots album. “This is crazy whānau, out of it,” he said. “Anyone you forgot?” asked Rickard. “Your mum?” “Nah, she’s alright,” replied Te Wihi. “She knows.” Taking the stage again to accept best breakthrough artist, Te Wehi decided to add a few more people to his thank you list. “Shout out to my brother Hori Shaw, thank you to my beautiful wife and thank you to my mum, I love you.” My cowboy hat is off.
Riiki Reid put on a pop extravaganza
There were so many memorable live performances throughout the night from Geneva AM and Great South joining Tom Scott to Dick Move screaming in the face of old men, but nobody turned it out quite like Rikki Reid, who won radio airplay record of the year for ‘Over Romantic’ earlier in the night. Storming the Civic stage with an enormous dance troupe in tiny tops and big ol’ jeans, it was a moment of choreographed Y2K-inspired pop perfection.
Stan Walker had a toilet snafu
Another perfect live moment came when Stan Walker won the mana reo award, just as he had left to use the bog. With his wife Lou Tyson taking the stage on his behalf – “I’m going to kill him when we get home” – Walker came running back through the stalls and onto the stage, utterly breathless.
“I don’t even know what this is for,” he laughed, soon misunderstanding it to be best Māori artist. “There’s no best Māori artist, every Māori is the best.”
“Sorry I’m out of breath,” he added. “I just finished having a shet.”
Che Fu closed out the night
Newly-minted hall-of-fame inductee Che Fu topped off festivities with a medley of his hits. Blasting through ‘Chains’ and ‘Fade Away’, complete with a Niuean takalo and a bit of record scratching to boot, he then glided into ‘Misty Frequencies’. I was reminded of something John Campbell observed on RNZ earlier that day: is there a more soothing opening to any song ever than “local boy, neighbourhood, easy as the breeze in springtime”? It was the ideal way to end a night positively brimming with legacy, laughter, and something that felt a lot like hope.
