Steve Poltz Announces New Zealand Tour This March

Veteran North American troubadour Steve Poltz is thrilled to be returning to New Zealand for a run of live shows to celebrate the release of his new album, JoyRide, his first in nearly four years, via Red House Records.

Hailed by American Songwriter for “his unhinged live performances, incredible way with a comedic lyric, and ability to spin a ripping tale,” Poltz will celebrate JoyRide with a truly epic tour schedule that will see him traveling the US, his native Canada, Mexico, Australia and now New Zealand for headline dates, festival appearances, and more.

STREAM/PURCHASE  JOYRIDE | ORDER JOYRIDE PHYSICAL

The U.S/Canadian folk singer has toured Australia over 20 times, and now returns for his third visit to New Zealand to perform five shows at the end of March, taking in Hastings, Wellington and Auckland before heading back across the Tasman to finish off his extensive Australasian tour, including a coveted slot at the Byron Bay Bluesfest.

Says Steve Poltz: “Australia AND New Zealand??? Are you kidding me?! Calling all freaks. Calling all freaks. Come in, freaks. Come in. Is this mic on? Plan ahead – we’re going down under! Let’s have a blast, meet new freaks, and become lifelong buddies. Look at all these shows – it’s happening! This will be my 23rd trip to the land down under and my 3rd to NZ.  I can’t wait!”

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and raised in Southern California, Poltz now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Credited with co-writing the Jewel Platinum hit You Were Meant For Me, Poltz’s live shows are the stuff of legend. Positively owning a crowd when he’s on stage. Poltz can take an unsuspecting audience from laughter to tears and back again in the space of a single song. He is a master of improvisational song-writing, and works without a set list to be free to react instantly to the mood of a room.

The album is Poltz’s 14th studio collection, and sees the acclaimed tunesmith teaming with producer/multi-instrumentalist Dex Green (known for his Grammy® Award-nominated work with such artists as Shemekia Copeland, Elvis Costello, Margo Price, and Nicole Atkins), at 3Sirens, a historic home studio in East Nashville, TN, for a high-spirited, sharp-witted collection of 10 brand new songs, including topical first single, If It Bleeds It Leads, rowdy follow up Love a Little Bigger, (co-written with longtime pal Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon), and a sure-to-be fan favorite Fixin’ Up (a three-way co-write with Americana legend Jim Lauderdale and 2018 CCMA Songwriter of the Year, Skip Black).

“Capturing me in a studio is like convincing a whirling dervish to stop spinning long enough to sign a bill into law,” says Poltz. “It’s chaos, caffeine, and accidental poetry – art colliding with microphones and commerce in a glorious mess. That’s how JoyRide happened. No seatbelts, no helmets. Just unsaturated, unadulterated art. Real humans making real noise in real time.”

STEVE POLTZ NEW ZEALAND TOUR DATES – MARCH 2026

25, 26 + 27 March – Hawkes Bay – Small Hall Sessions

28 March – Wellington – Meow

29 March – Auckland – The Tuning Fork

For complete details and ticket information, please see poltz.com/concerts.

Photo Credit: Jay Blakesberg