Record Finalist Numbers As Pacific Music Awards Celebrates 21 Years Of Musical Recognition; Awards Announced Last Night

The finalists for the 2025 Pacific Music Awards were
announced last night at a ceremony at the Mangere Arts
Centre in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. This year’s
celebration of Pacific music marks the 21st anniversary of
the event.

Following the highest number of entries to
the awards so far, this year there are a record 34 finalists
across 13 categories.

Among the finalists are 15
first-time nominees – a testament to the incredible depth of
talent and the vibrant growth within the Pacific music
community, as a new wave of artists rise into the
spotlight.

Leading the pack with four nominations are
SHANE WALKER and
Aaradhna.

Cook Island and Māori
songwriter who began his career with his uncle Rahui
“Brother Love” Vaka and Father Dion DHarp Paekau, SHANE
WALKER has now built his own distinct sound.

WALKER is
up for NZ Music Commission Best Pacific Male Artist, 531pi
Best Gospel Artist, Pacificast Best Pacific Roots/Reggae
Artist, and APRA Best Pacific Song for
‘Believe’.

Soul/R&B singer Aaradhna is also
nominated for four awards including Auckland Council Best
Pacific Female Artist, RNZ Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist,
and Recorded Music Te Tino Pukaemi Moana Nui a Kiwa o te Tau
| Best Pacific Music Album for Sweet
Surrender.

She’s also nominated for NZ On Air
Best Pacific Music Video for ‘Mango Tree’, directed by
Prasenjit Das.

Onehunga hip hop group
SWIDT have received three nods at the 2025
Pacific Music Awards for FLAVA Best Pacific Group, ONErpm
Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist, and Recorded Music Te Tino
Pukaemi Moana Nui a Kiwa o te Tau | Best Pacific Music Album
for Taking Care of Business.

Jordyn Rapana –
aka Jordyn with a Why – draws inspiration
from her Māori and Samoan heritage in creating her
bilingual, 1980s tinged music.

This year, she is
nominated for Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist,
RNZ Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist, and Recorded Music Te
Tino Pukaemi Moana Nui a Kiwa o te Tau | Best Pacific Music
Album for Hibiscus Moon, Love &
Justice.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, with
Maori/Cook Island roots, Lomez Brown blends
reggae, old-school soul/RnB, and Polynesian grooves,
creating music that resonates deeply with
listeners.

He’s nominated for Pacificast Best
Pacific Roots/Reggae Artist and Recorded Music Te Tino
Pukaemi Moana Nui a Kiwa o te Tau | Best Pacific Music Album
for his album UNDER-RATED.

Known for his
introspective lyrics and genre-blending sound, prominent
rapper, poet, and singer MELODOWNZ is
nominated for NZ Music Commission Best Pacific Male Artist
and ONErpm Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist.

Other
finalists this year include Kenzie from
Welly (Auckland Council Best Pacific Female Artist,
ONErpm Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist), A.R.T
(FLAVA Best Pacific Group, Pacific Media Network Best
Pacific Language), Sam V (NZ Music
Commission Best Pacific Male Artist, RNZ Best Pacific
Soul/R&B Artist), Tree (Pacific Media
Network Best Pacific Language, APRA Best Pacific Song),
Adeaze (FLAVA Best Pacific Group),
Village 90 (FLAVA Best Pacific Group),
Diggy Dupé (NZ Music Commission Best
Pacific Male Artist), Myshaan (NZ Music
Commission Best Pacific Male Artist), Junior
Soqeta (Pacific Media Network Best Pacific
Language), Opetaia Foa’i & Moana 2
Artists (Pacific Media Network Best Pacific
Language), Wayno (Pacific Media Network
Best Pacific Language), David Dallas
(ONErpm Best Pacific Hip Hop Artist), Brotherhood
Musiq (531pi Best Gospel Artist), Saia
Frank Sola (531pi Best Gospel Artist),
Sire (531pi Best Gospel Artist),
Rubi Du (Pacificast Best Pacific
Roots/Reggae Artist), Fejoint, Lomez Brown and
Switch.E (APRA Best Pacific Song),
T’NAY (APRA Best Pacific Song),
Jaro Local (NIU FM Best International
Pacific Artist), KUKI (NIU FM Best
International Pacific Artist), Paradise
Rootz (NIU FM Best International Pacific Artist),
Seven Suns (NIU FM Best International
Pacific Artist), and The 046 (NIU FM Best
International Pacific Artist ).

There are also four
nominees for MPGNZ/SAE Creative Media Institute Best
Producer including Astro and EDY (90’s
Fine’, ‘Rolling Your Eyes’, Sam V), Canaan
Ene (‘The Way It Is’, ‘Handyman’, ‘You’ve
Got A Friend’, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You,
‘Selfish’, ‘Lately’, Canaan Ene and various
artists), Feagaigafou Tupa’i, Logovi’i Tupa’i,
Astro, EDY (‘Forever I Am Yours’, Adeaze) and
Ikon Music (‘When He Was Mine (Pele Fo’i
Mai)’, ‘Easy’, A.R.T).

Finally, the finalists
for NZ On Air Best Pacific Music Video are Haanz
Fa’avae-Jackson (‘Mayehe’,directed by Mario
Faumui & Ben Mikha), Shepherds Reign
(‘Ala Mai’, directed by Bahanor Borhani), Tha
Movement (‘The Lecture’, directed by Samson
Rambo), and TheWesternGuide (‘Bottom of
the Bed’, directed by Esther Mauga).

Matai continues
to support the awards and will provide timepieces which will
be gifted to all the winners at the awards ceremony,
alongside the beautiful trophies.

Pacific Music Awards
Trust spokesperson Rev Mua Strickson-Pua said: “Aotearoa
is celebrating Matariki, the Māori New Year, with the 2025
theme ‘Matariki mā Puanga’, highlighting inclusion and
unity. The Pacific Music Awards honours Matariki as a
treasured cultural celebration across Pacific languages and
traditions.

“This year marks the 21st anniversary of
the Pacific Music Awards. Inspired by the wisdom of
Matariki, we celebrate a record-breaking year with the
highest number of entries, finalists, and Pacific languages
represented – especially in our International
category.

“To all 2025 finalists: thank you. As
always, our Finalist Announcement event is a celebration for
families, communities, and the wider music industry—where
everyone is a winner. Guided by our ancestors, we honour the
past, celebrate the present, and look forward to a bright
future.”

Trustee and Event Producer, Petrina
Togi-Sa’ena says: “It feels like we are entering a new
era for the Pacific Music Awards as we celebrate our 21st
year. The year looked very daunting with the challenging
environment for funding and events. Then we opened for
entries and the wave of nominations came through. We
received a record number of entries, which has flowed on to
more finalists and more first-time finalists than ever
before. All strong signals of this new wave and the strength
of Pacific music right now.

“The music
of the finalists has allowed us to celebrate all our artists
from the incredible Pacific music community here in
Aotearoa, to recognise so many genres, to honour our Pacific
languages through music and to reach across the moana to
connect with artists living overseas. I am really proud of
this year’s finalists and so happy for everyone being
acknowledged.”

The SunPix People’s
Choice Award voting opens Tuesday 1st July, and all artists
nominated for the 2025 Pacific Music Awards are eligible.
The winner will be decided entirely by public vote, which
can be cast through the voting poll on the PMA website.
Voting will close on Friday 1st August 2025.

To listen
to all the nominees, here’s the official PMA
2025 Finalist Playlist. This year’s Pacific Music
Award winners will be celebrated on Thursday 21st August
2025, at the Due Drop Events Centre in
Manukau.

2025 Pacific Music Awards
finalists:

Auckland Council Best Pacific
Female Artist

• Aaradhna –
  Sweet Surrender
• Jordyn with a
  Why – Hibiscus Moon, Love &
  Justice
• Kenzie from Welly
  – ‘Hold Ya Head’,
  ‘Queendom’

NZ Music Commission Best Pacific
Male Artist

• Diggy Dupé –
  ‘Request Line’
• MELODOWNZ –
  ‘Broke’, ‘Calm and Chill’, ‘When I’,
  ‘High Vibration’, ‘MeloDub (828)’,
  ‘Directions’
• Myshaan – ‘Power
  of Love (Reggae)’, ‘Carry My Heart’, ‘Wrapped’,
  ‘I Do’
• Sam V – ‘90’s Fine’,
  ‘Rolling Your Eyes’
• SHANE WALKER –
  ‘Coasty Girl’,‘Maori in Me’, ‘Iesu’,
  ‘Let Me Be Your Man’, ‘The Lord is Watching You’,
  Believe’

Flava Best Pacific
Group

• Adeaze – ‘Forever I Am
  Yours’
• A.R.T – ‘When He Was
  Mine (Pele Fo’i Mai)’,
  ‘Easy’
• SWIDT – Taking Care
  of Business
• Village 90 – ‘U
  & Me’

Pacific Media Network Best Pacific
Language

• A.R.T – ‘When He Was
  Mine (Pele Fo’i Mai)’, ‘Easy’
• Junior
  Soqeta – ‘Moni Meke’, ‘Senituli ‘Oe Tau’ataina’,
  ‘Buna Na Isa Lei Buna’
• Opetaia Foa’i &
  Moana 2 Artists – ‘Tulou Tagaloa (Sei e Va’ai
  Mai)’, ‘My Wish For You (Innocent Warrior), ‘Finding
  the Way’, ‘Mana Vavau’, ‘We’re Back (Te Vaka
  version), ‘Nuku O Kaiga’
• Tree –
  ‘Tupulaga Samoa ft Wayno’
• Wayno
  – ‘Siva Samoa 2K24 (Reggae Version)’, ‘Siva Samoa
  2K24’, ‘Fafine Faitala’, ‘Tama O Le
  Faifaiaso’

531pi Best Pacific Gospel
Artist

• Brotherhood Musiq –
  ‘Open The Eyes of My Heart’
• Saia Frank
  Sola – ‘E Le Galo Le Mativa (Feat. DJ Twitch)’,
  ‘Fai Oe Ma Leleiga’, ‘Sili Ai Lou Alu Eke Moe’, ‘E Le’o Se
  Mea Ta’alo Lo’u Alofa’, ‘Aisea’, Oute Le Ma i Le Mativa’,
  Tofa La’u Feagaiga’
• SHANE WALKER –
  ‘Iesu’
• Sire –
  ‘Temporary’

ONErpm Best Pacific Hip Hop
Artist

• David Dallas –
  Vita
• Kenzie from Welly –
  ‘Hold Ya Head’,
  ‘Queendom’
• MELODOWNZ –
  ‘Broke’, ‘Calm and Chill’, ‘When I’, ‘High
  Vibration’, ‘MeloDub (828)’,
  ‘Directions’
• SWIDT – Taking
  Care of Business

RNZ Best Pacific Soul/RnB
Artist

• Aaradhna – Sweet
  Surrender
• Jordyn with a Why
  – Hibiscus Moon, Love & Justice
• Sam
  V – ‘90’s Fine’, ‘Rolling Your
  Eyes’

Pacificast Best Pacific Roots/Reggae
Artist

• Lomez Brown –
  UNDER-RATED
• Rubi Du –
  ‘Calling’, ‘Day Dreaming’
• SHANE
  WALKER – ‘Let Me Be Your Man’, ‘The Lord is
  Watching You’

NZ On Air Best Pacific Music
Video

• Aaradhna – ‘Mango
  Tree’
• Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson
  – ‘Mavehe’
  • Directors: Mario Faumui &
    Ben Mikha
• Shepherds Reign
  – ‘Ala Mai’
  • Director: Bahador
    Borhani
• Tha Movement –
  ’The Lecture’
• TheWesternGuide –
  ‘Bottom of the Bed’

MPGNZ/SAE Creative Media
Institute Best Producer

• Astro and EDY –
  ‘90’s Fine’, ‘Rolling Your Eyes’, Sam
  V
• Canaan Ene – ‘The Way It Is’,
  ‘Handyman’, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, ‘Nothing’s
  Gonna Change My Love For You, ‘Selfish’, ‘Lately’,
  Canaan Ene and various artists
• Feagaigafou
  Tupa’i, Logovi’i Tupa’i, Astro, EDY – ‘Forever
  I Am Yours’, Adeaze
• Ikon Music
  – ‘When He Was Mine (Pele Fo’i Mai)’, ‘Easy’,
  A.R.T

APRA Best Pacific
Song

• Fejoint, Lomez Brown,
  Switch.E – ‘Stay’
  • Written by: Fejoint,
    Norman, Brown Sione Eliesa
• SHANE
  WALKER – ‘Believe’
• T’NAY – ‘Penina
  O Le Vasa ft Wayno’
  • Written by: Sililo
    Tapuitima
• Tree –
  ‘Tupulaga Samoa ft Wayno’
  • Written by: Juliana
    Sopoaga Lologa and Joyce Lonise
    Toleafoa

NIU FM Best International
Pacific Artist

• Jaro Local –
  ‘Aghe Kula’
• KUKI – ‘What’s
  Up’, ‘Fijian Lewa’, ‘Au Na Vuka Yani’, Noqu
  Vanua (EP),
• Paradise
  Rootz – ‘Galili’, ‘Liwa Donu Tu’,
  ‘AJI ft The Gang’
• Seven Suns
  – Many Feathers
• The 046 –
  ‘Music is Everything’, ‘Lifetime’, ‘Young Free
  & Reckless’, ‘Hustle Hard’ ‘All
  In’

Recorded Music NZ Te Tino Pukaemi Moana
Nui a Kiwa o e Tau | Best Pacific Music
Album

• Aaradhna – Sweet
  Surrender
• Jordyn with a Why
  – Hibiscus Moon, Love &
  Justice
• Lomez Brown –
  UNDER-RATED
• SWIDT – Taking
  Care of Business

For more information: https://www.pacificmusicawards.org.nz/

About
the Pacific Music Awards

In 2004 the
Pacific Music Awards Committee (PMAC) was formed to realise
a vision and the inaugural Pacific Music Awards debuted at
Pasifika Festival in March 2005. Encouraged by the success
of the awards the PMAC set about developing an annual event
as a significant highlight of the New Zealand music industry
calendar. The awards committee formed a Charitable Trust to
organise and host the awards, and are driven by a simple
core objective: to create and manage an event that
acknowledges the success of Pacific artists, celebrates and
promotes excellence in Pacific music and encourages young
Pacific musicians to aspire to a higher level of
achievement.

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