Aotearoa Music Award for Best Alternative Artist
| Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau Best Alternative Artist | |
|---|---|
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have won the award three times. | |
| Awarded for | Excellence in New Zealand Music |
| Presented by | Recorded Music NZ |
| First award | 2011 |
| Currently held by | Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn |
| Most wins | Unknown Mortal Orchestra (3) |
| Most nominations | Unknown Mortal Orchestra (4) |
Best Alternative Artist (Māori: Te Manu Taki Whanokē o te Tau) is an Aotearoa Music Award that honours New Zealand artists for outstanding alternative recordings.
The inaugural award was presented as Best Alternative Album in 2011 to The Naked and Famous for their album Passive Me, Aggressive You. In 2017, the award was changed to Best Alternative Artist. The change was made to all the genre-specific awards, and was to reflect the changing release climate in which full albums had become less common. Under the new rules, an artist who has released "an album OR a minimum of five tracks" can be nominated.[1]
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have the most awards with three wins, followed by The Beths who have won it twice.
Recipients
Best Alternative Album (2010 - 2016)
| Year | Winner | Album | Other finalists | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Naked and Famous | Passive Me, Aggressive You |
|
[2][3] |
| 2012 | Opossom | Electric Hawaii | [4] | |
| 2013 | Unknown Mortal Orchestra | II |
|
[5] |
| 2014 | Tiny Ruins | Brightly Painted Ones |
|
[6] |
| 2015 | Unknown Mortal Orchestra | Multi-Love |
|
[7] |
| 2016 | Lawrence Arabia | Absolute Truth |
|
[5] |
Best Alternative Artist (2017 - present)
| Year | Winner | Other finalists | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Aldous Harding | [8] | |
| 2018 | Unknown Mortal Orchestra |
|
[9] |
| 2019 | The Beths – Future Me Hates Me |
|
[10] |
| 2020 | The Beths |
|
[11] |
| 2021 | Na Noise |
|
[12] |
| 2022 | Vera Ellen |
|
[13] |
| 2023 | No awards held | ||
| 2024 | Princess Chelsea |
|
[14] |
| 2025 | Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn |
|
[15] |
References
- ^ "New Zealand Music Awards dump album categories for artist categories". Stuff. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "NZ Music Awards finalists line up". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ "Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards 2011 Winners" (Press release). New Zealand Music Awards. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ "VNZMA 2012: Full List of Winners". The Corner. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ a b "AMA | Archive". Aotearoa Music Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Lorde wins all the Tuis". NZ Herald. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Jenkin, Lydia (18 November 2015). "Broods clean up at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards". The New Zealand Herald. NZMA. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ Oliver, Henry (17 November 2017). "New Zealand Music Awards hits and misses (+ The Spinoff vs Spotify result!)". The Spinoff. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards 2018 Winners Announced". UnderTheRadar.co.nz. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards 2019 Winners Announced". UnderTheRadarNZ. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "AOTEAROA MUSIC AWARDS | NGA TOHU PUORO O AOTEAROA WINNERS 2020 | Recorded Music NZ ® - We Love Music". Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Skipwith, David (17 December 2021). "L.A.B. and Teeks reign supreme at 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards". Stuff. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "L.A.B secures spot in history at 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards". RNZ. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "2024 Aotearoa Music Awards recap: The Beths win Best Group, Best Album". RNZ. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Aotearoa Music Awards 2025: Fazerdaze re-emerges on top". RNZ. Retrieved 15 June 2025.