AMA Finalists Announced For Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo And Te Manu Taki Māori O Te Tau Tūī

Celebrating Māori artists and the impact of waiata Māori on the Aotearoa music industry

The Aotearoa Music Awards is proud to announce an impressive group of finalists for the 2025 Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo and Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist Tūī.

The Mana Reo award recognises recordings with at least 50% te reo Māori content. Singles, albums and other bundles of recordings such as EPs are all eligible.

The finalists for the 2025 Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Tūī are:

• Anna Coddington (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue) for Te Whakamiha
• Haami Tuari (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāi Tuhoe) for ‘Taku Kaenga’
• Jordyn with a Why (Tainui Āwhiro, Mulifanua Lalovi, Falelatai, Vaimoso) for ‘Reia’
• Stan Walker (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi) for ‘Māori Ki Te Ao’
• TAWAZ (Ngāti Rangitāne) for ‘Tātarakihi’ (feat. MOHI)
• Tuari Brothers (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāi Tuhoe) for ‘Higher’

The main judging criterion for the Mana Reo Tūī is that the music aims to grow the interest and appeal of te reo and te ao Māori in and through mainstream recorded music. Artistic merit, the regularity of releases that prioritise reo Māori, and commercial success are also taken into account.

Finalists for the 2025 Te Māngai Pāho Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau Tūī are:

• Anna Coddington for Te Whakamiha
• Corrella (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti He, Ngāti Pukenga – Pipiwharauroa & Ngawaiwera Campbell) and (Ngāi Tūhoe – Te Naawe Tupe) for Skeletons
• Jordyn with a Why for Hibiscus Moon, Love & Justice
• MOHI (He maramara nō Rāhiri, nō Te Tai Tokerau whānui. Tauranga Moana, Tauranga Tāngata, he Ngāti Tapu ahau. Nō Kahungunu, nō Te Wairoa hōki)
• Stan Walker
• TAWAZ

The award for Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau honours an artist whose music reflects a unique Māori identity and/or is an expression of te ao Māori.

AMA 2024 inaugural Te Manu Mātārae winner Stan Walker is a finalist for Spotify Te Tino Waiata o te Tau | Single of the Year as well as Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo for his Chart-topping single ‘Māori Ki Te Ao’. The track has dominated the Tukutahi Te Reo Māori Tiketike 10 | Top 10 Te Reo Māori Singles Chart in 2024, with 55+ weeks at #1. Walker is also up for Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau, Spotify Te Tino Reo o te Tau | Best Solo Artist, and Te Manu Taki Manako o te Tau | Best Soul/RnB Artist at AMA 2025.

2024 APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka winner Anna Coddington is a finalist in both the Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau and Mana Reo categories, as well as Te Tino Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of The Year for Te Whakamiha, her first bilingual album.

2024 Mana Reo and Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau winner TAWAZ returns as a finalist in both categories in 2025. His Mana Reo-nominated single ‘Tātarakihi’ features MOHI, who is also a finalist for Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau.

2024 Te Tino Waiata ā-Iti Rearea o te Tau | Breakthrough Single of the Year and Taki Taketake o te Tau | Best Roots Artist winners Corrella are back on the books with their 2024 album Skeletons. The eight-piece are in the running for Te Tino Kāhui Manu Taki o te Tau | Best Group and Te Manu Taki Taketake o te Tau | Best Roots Artist as well as Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau.

Having also secured the dual nomination in 2024, Jordyn with a Why is again up for both Tūī, for her debut album Hibiscus Moon, Love & Justice (Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau) and single from the album ‘Reia’ (Mana Reo). Haami Tuari is up for Mana Reo both as a solo artist, for ‘Taku Kaenga’, and with his brothers as AMA 2024 finalist three-piece Tuari Brothers, this time for their hit ‘Higher’.

Recorded Music NZ CEO Jo Oliver says:

“The 2025 Mana Reo and Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau finalists are incredible artists whose work is heard in many contexts across Aotearoa. We are excited to honour them at AMA this May.

“A big mihi as always to Te Māngai Pāho for sponsoring these Tūī, and for their continued support of AMA. We at Recorded Music are proud to play a small part in their ongoing mahi to whakanui te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori and to raise the profile of Māori artists and waiata Māori in and beyond Aotearoa.”

The 2025 Mana Reo and Te Māngai Pāho Te Manu Taki Māori o te Tau | Best Māori Artist awards will be presented at the Aotearoa Music Awards on Thursday 29 May at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Find details of all other 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards finalists here

About Aotearoa Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards is the annual showcase event for the music industry, celebrating artists and music from Aotearoa. The event recognises the biggest musical successes of the year while also providing a platform to promote emerging artists. Grounded in 60 years of history, the Aotearoa Music Awards has evolved to reflect our unique cultural identity. It has launched music careers, told artists’ stories and created memorable moments.

Recorded Music NZ produces the Aotearoa Music Awards and acts as its kaitiaki – preserving our musical heritage, celebrating the hits of today and paving the way for the artists of tomorrow.

For more, please visit

aotearoamusicawards.co.nz

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