Music strategy

Our investments in Music fall mostly under the Creation stream of our Investment Model.

Our pūoro (music) mission is: Helping artists build audiences, careers and cultural impact in New Zealand and beyond.

We aim to get more New Zealand music on radio, online and on any platform where audiences are. Our funding supports artists at different stages of their careers, from early development through to building audiences and achieving breakthrough opportunities here in Aotearoa and internationally.

We actively promote New Zealand music to increase its discoverability in a crowded market. And we invest in capability development in the sector.

We run multiple music funding rounds each year. We support:

• single songs
• multi-song projects
• music videos
• artist development and capability
• touring
• music promotion to make sure great NZ songs connect with the widest audience possible.

We also run targeted funding rounds to support new and emerging artists, including dedicated opportunities for Pasifika, Pan-Asian and Māori artists, as well as children's music. We also partner with Te Māngai Pāho on Waiata Takitahi to support waiata with a te reo Māori focus.

We've been funding music since 1991, helping to maintain a presence for local music on mainstream radio stations. Today, there's equal emphasis on providing great local songs to the major streaming platforms for worldwide audiences to discover and enjoy.

Our detailed NZ On Air Music Strategy can be read below.

Our New Music funding rounds support artists at different stages of their careers to create great contemporary music, develop their capability and connect with audiences. The rounds are:

• New Music Development (available from 2027)
• New Music Pan-Asian
• New Music Pasifika
• New Music Māori (available from the 2027)
• Waiata Takitahi
• New Music Single
• New Music Kids
• New Music Project
• New Music Project Touring
• New Music Project Kids
• Global Promotion (available from 2027)

Our funding is split between catering for mainstream and alternative audiences.

We aim to cater to all tastes, whether it's pop, hip-hop, country, folk, rock. If it’s a great song and has a potential audience, it may be a contender.

In 2023 we commissioned a comprehensive review of NZ On Air’s Music Funding and its role and efficacy in the music industry in Aotearoa New Zealand today.

The aim was to understand the challenges the industry is facing both at home and globally. And then ensure that our music funding initiatives were:

• fit-for-purpose
• future-focused
• continuing to give audiences a range of quality local songs to enjoy.

In 2025 we also received a comprehensive report from the Māori Music Industry Collective on the experiences of Māori artists with the NZ On Air funding system.

In 2026 our Music team undertook industry-wide consultation on the changes to the music environment, what's working and not working in the funding system, and as a result reshaped the funding. This also presented an opportunity to realign Music funding within the new NZ On Air Investment Model, and with the Government's Amplify strategy for Arts and Culture.

We take a comprehensive approach to promoting great local music. Our promotion activities include:

• producing NewTracks, a monthly compilation of the best new music that radio, broadcast and online platforms need to know about
• using social media and streaming services to help connect NZ audiences with NZ artists
• funding music features on a range of radio stations to introduce audiences and tastemakers to new New Zealand music
• working with radio programmers and streaming platforms to ensure local music is included in playlists
• curating and updating our own Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube playlists with new singles and music videos.

We also sponsor awards and special music events to raise the profile of New Zealand music, and to celebrate success in the music industry. Alongside that, we also provide operational funding to the Student Radio Network, a rich home for local music, encourage the use of local music in funded screen content, and fund the noisy library of New Zealand music, AudioCulture.