The very first recipients of NZ On Air’s New Music Project Touring (NMPT) pilot fund have been announced – with the added good news the fund will return in 2026.
This first pilot round attracted strong interest from the music community, with 36 applications received and 20 artists receiving funding.
“It’s wonderful to be able to confirm that the fund will return next year,” says NZ On Air Head of Music Teresa Patterson. “The feedback from this pilot round has been incredibly positive and we’re really pleased to give even more audiences across the motu the opportunity to experience new music live.”
NZ On Air, with support from the NZ Music Commission, designed the fund to help local artists take their music on the road, connecting with audiences across the motu through live performances to promote their album or EP release. It was open to artists who had received NZ On Air New Music Project (NMP) funding and had not yet released their project.
The funding will cover a range of touring costs including transport, accommodation, marketing, production, venue hire and session musician fees.
“This funding is making a tangible difference,” says Patterson. “Artists are telling us they can add extra dates, reach smaller towns, keep ticket prices affordable, and deliver the kind of production that fans expect. Without this support, many of these tours would have been scaled back, had to increase ticket prices or not happened at all.”
One of the successful applicants, Lucy Macrae from Tāmaki Makaurau-based band Dick Move, says the funds will allow them to expand their tour further and even include three ‘all ages’ shows.
“Having the funds will allow us to keep ticket prices at an affordable price for our fans – which is really important in this climate to be able to keep live music accessible – be able to pay our support bands a fair performance fee, and has given us the confidence to be able to expand the tour further into more regions and venues around the motu,” says Suttor.
Kiwi country music singer Kaylee Bell, another successful applicant, says this funding also helps artists to put together shows of a high quality.
“This touring fund helps us to level up our show production to the standard we want to be performing at. And it means that our fans will get to experience the best of us, in iconic venues throughout the country.”
Of the 20 funded artists, 10 are solo artists and 10 are groups. The artists are planning tours from Whāngarei to Invercargill and, in some cases, including venues in smaller towns such as Raglan, Ōtaki, Paekākāriki, Lyttleton and Wanaka.
“Getting out into the regions is really key,” says Patterson. “We are all about connecting new music with audiences and touring is a vital promotional tool for album and EP releases. But rising costs and slower ticket-buying trends have made it increasingly challenging.”
The fund provides grants up to $50,000, covering up to 50 percent of eligible touring costs.
The 20 successful artists hail from across Aotearoa and across a wide spectrum of genres. The second round of NMPT will open in April next year with decisions announced in early July.
You can see the full list of artists here:
Solo artists
- alayna
- Bic Runga
- Delaney Davidson
- Deva Mahal
- Kaylee Bell
- Mel Parsons
- Muroki
- Rei
- Sola Rosa
- Theia
Groups
- Beastwars
- Blindspott
- Borderline
- Corrella
- Dick Move
- Earth Tongue
- Foley
- PARK RD
- Rhian Sheehan & Arli Liberman
- The Black Seeds