We are thrilled to announce the results of our 2026 New Music Pan-Asian focus round, where NZ On Air will be supporting 20 Pan-Asian artists with the recording, video content, and promotion costs of their new song.
The New Music Pan Asian round was designed to address the historic under-representation of Pan-Asian artists in the music sector and within our music funding – and create content that will engage Pan-Asian audiences in Aotearoa.
Within our 2026 New Music Pan-Asian round, we received 77 eligible applications and, after the help of our assessment panel, we will be investing up to $11,000 in 20 songs by local artists.
From within the 20 successful recipients, there are nine first-time NZ On Air funding recipients and two songs featuring Pan-Asian language. The recipients represent a wide spectrum of Pan-Asian identities, including individuals from Armenia, China, India, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
The quality of music submissions continues to be of an incredibly high calibre, and we thank this month's judging panel for their hard work and considerable expertise in deciding upon the final results. Tēnā rawa atu koutou:
- Amita Kala - Aunty's House and DJ
- Martin Kwok - Sound Editor, Broadcaster and DJ
- Perlina Lau - Broadcaster and Actor
- Swap Gomez - Musician, Filmmaker and Lecturer
- Casey Yeoh - NZ On Air
In assessing applications for contestable funding, NZ On Air actively considers and manages any potential conflicts of interest within our judging panels.
