Winners Announced at the 2026 Apra Silver Scroll Awards
Aotearoa songwriters and composers were celebrated this evening at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre for the 61st annual APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka. Six awards were presented, and winners honoured alongside anniversary tributes celebrating APRA’s 100th year representing Aotearoa songwriters and composers.
APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARD | KAITITO KAIAKA WINNER
The coveted APRA Silver Scroll Award, which celebrates the craft of contemporary songwriting, was awarded to David Feauai-Afaese, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, Levi Gemmell, and Larsen Taylor who perform as Pacific neo-psychedelia group, LEAO. Their song Lalelei earned them their first-ever Scroll nomination and was subsequently voted by APRA members as the winning song. This is the first time a song written entirely in Gagana Samoa has won the prestigious award. Lalelei, which translates to “beautiful” is a love letter and dedication to “aiga ma atunu’u” (family and homeland), capturing themes of distance, yearning and commitment to the fa’asamoa (the ‘Samoan way’). With this song’s sonic palette bringing together classic Samoan garage with new-age production, LEAO continue their dedication to synthesising Pacific nostalgia with the modern age.
Since its humble beginnings, LEAO’s music has been featured on screen, including Taika Waititi’s film Next Goal Wins; they’ve opened for Saharan superstars Tinariwen; they’ve featured multiple times on NTS Radio; landed on the Official Aotearoa charts and reached Gold Rotation on 95bFM; and were one of the few Aotearoa bands to feature on the Great Escape lineup this year. David, Navakatoa, and Larsen are also the founders of pan-Moana record label Noa Records.
The APRA Silver Scroll Award was presented by Neil Finn, and Lalelei was performed by Pōneke-based vocal trio, A.R.T with Hannah Elise, Loise Vea, Marcella Adisurya, and Ruby Walsh.
APRA MAIOHA AWARD | TOHU MAIOHA WINNER
The peer-voted Tohu Maioha reaches 24 years honouring the dedicated community of kaitito waiata contemporising te reo Māori. This year the award was presented to Emily and Charles Looker (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Mutunga) who perform as Aro. Two of their waiata landed on the shortlist this year, a first for the Maioha category, with Puna Ora receiving the most votes by their peers. Puna Ora comes from Aro’s latest album Tāwauwau (2026) which explores fantasy, faith, beauty, and longing.
Puna Ora plays on the richness of the word puna – as it flows through mokopuna and tūpuna. Aro explain, “The song is about awakening that inner puna ora, that living spring inside us that connects us to our tūpuna, our tamariki, and to something beyond what we can see.”
Aro have been creating bilingual waiata since forming in 2017, known for their rich harmonies and heartfelt storytelling inspired by whānau, whenua, and te ao Māori. They have toured extensively across Aotearoa, released five studio projects, numerous singles in between with many landing on the Official Aotearoa Music Charts, and won Best Pop Album at the Waiata Māori Music Awards. This is Aro’s first award win at the APRA Silver Scrolls, having landed on the Maioha shortlist once before, and the Silver Scroll Top 20 twice.
The Tohu Maioha was presented to Emily and Charles by Scotty Morrison and Puna Ora performed by Goldsmith Baynes, who are Allana Goldsmith, Mark Baynes, Wil Goodinson, and Max Crook.
SOUNZ CONTEMPORARY AWARD | TE TOHU AUAHA WINNER
Celebrating excellence in contemporary composition, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha was awarded to Dylan Lardelli this year for Light Lines.
Light Lines is Dylan’s first work for string trio, that builds emerging fragile lines out of ever-shifting invisible foundations. Light Lines is inspired by a quote from Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “The fairest order in the world (the most beautiful kosmos) is a heap of random sweepings.” In the work, unity is finally created as a sum of the continuously changing parts presented by the three musicians.
Dylan was unable to accept the award in person, but shared “I feel very humbled to receive this year’s SOUNZ Contemporary Award, especially amongst such worthy finalists. I was very privileged to have such an accomplished and sensitive group of musicians bring my music to life – the Mondrian Ensemble, who captured my music with such elegance, in so many performances around the world.”
Dylan is an active performer and advocate for contemporary New Zealand music – he has commissioned more than 40 new works and presented concerts and recordings throughout New Zealand and internationally. Educated in Wellington, Venice, and Germany, Dylan has held major international residencies, and has twice received the APRA Art Music Award, supporting international tours of his music. His work explores gesture, colour, physicality, memory, and extended instrumental practices, with performances and commissions by leading ensembles and festivals across Europe, Asia, and New Zealand.
The SOUNZ Contemporary Award was presented by Victoria Kelly, and Light Lines was reimagined and performed by Ewan Collins, Stephen de Pledge, John Kim, and Luk Vitk.
TE TIHI O TE MAUNGA TITO | KAPA HAKA SONGWRITING AWARD WINNER
Tonight was made extra special as APRA presented a brand-new award that celebrates kaitito Māori who write and compose for kapa haka. Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito honours the rich tradition of kapa haka songwriting.
The first recipient of Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito was announced as Rob Ruha for Te Tapuni, performed by Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA). Rob Ruha is a boundary-breaking Māori artist, composer, music director and cultural force, recognised as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Māori music. Of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent, Rob brings the power, precision and collective energy of kapa haka into a bold contemporary sound that he calls Haka Soul. Te Tapuni is a celebration of life dedicated to the late Ricky Lee Tapuni Mitai (Te Whakatōhea), honouring his dedication to preserving te reo Māori and tikanga alongside his passion for arts and culture.
The “new kids on the block” TOA won first place at the Mātaatua regional competitions earlier this year. Their epic performance of Te Tapuni secured their spot at Te Matatini 2027. Following international festival appearances in China and fresh from being crowned champions, TOA delivered an electrifying rendition of Te Tapuni in a powerhouse collaboration with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Michael Fowler Centre, bringing the audience to their feet during the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.
Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito was presented to Rob by Matai Smith and Te Tapuni was performed by Corrella.
APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A SERIES AWARD | TOHU PAERANGI WINNER
Claire Cowan has been awarded the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for her composition on local crime drama Bust Up, the refreshing crime drama series featuring Morgana O’Reilly and Roimata Fox. Claire won the award previously in 2017 and has received multiple nominations across both screen categories since.
Hailed as one of New Zealand’s most exciting composers, Claire has an impressive array of scoring and composition credits spanning concert, film, television and theatre. Seven prime-time TV soundtracks, multiple “Best Original Score” national awards, several Composer Residencies, and two full length ballets commissioned from the Royal New Zealand Ballet are just a few of the many accolades to her name.
As a performer, Cowan’s expertise lies in strings and keys, often incorporating percussive and folk techniques into her classical string scores. She leads the band Nightflock – a group of eight exceptional instrumentalists dedicated to performing Cowan’s original compositions in ways that playfully challenge classical performance conventions. Claire is dedicated to advocating for underrepresented narratives, particularly those led by queer and female voices, in the realms of classical music, ballet and film.
APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM | TOHU PŪMANAWA WINNER
Karl Sölve Steven receives the Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award for his emotive score on the Pike River film.
Karl is an award-winning producer and composer, with many film and TV composition credits to his name. Karl comes from a background in studio engineering, where as a teenager he trained in both digital and tape production. He devises unique scores from his home of Pārāwai Thames, and works with an ever-evolving array of musicians and ensembles, whether in Auckland at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios, in Wellington with the Stroma Chamber Ensemble, or further afield in London, LA, Sweden and Iceland. In 2024 he was invited to attend the Cannes Film Festival as one of ten international composers as part of the Marché Du Film’s ‘Spot The Composer’ initiative.
Karl landed on the shortlist twice this year with Mārama also being nominated alongside co-composer Rob Thorne. This is the fourth time Karl takes home the award, being no stranger to the screen composition categories.
The 2026 APRA Silver Scroll Awards Kaitito Kaiaka opened with a powerful cross-cultural pōhiri led by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, bringing together Māori, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Pacific Island cultures through performances by Zipporah Corser-Anu, Ngulmiya Nundhirribala, and Island Vibes.
Alongside A.R.T’s reimagining of LEAO’s Lalelei were performances of the other top five Silver Scroll Award finalist songs: Jordyn with a Why performed Afters by Troy Kingi and Mā; Borderline performed One Stop by Aldous Harding; Lisa Tomlins performed Someone’s Daughter by Deva Mahal and Chris Wethey; and Voom performed Wrong Party by Fazed on a Pony/Peter McCall.
Nikau Grace performed a beautiful rendition of At the Onset by The Relaxomatic Project, in remembrance of those who have passed away in the past year.
The evening closed with a powerful performance of Ngā Iwi E by Lynda Topp, the Sami Sisters, Te Rōpū Mānūtaki kapa haka, and a 10-piece band.
All performances this evening were curated by 2026 Music Director, Godfrey DeGrut.
Many thanks to RNZ for livestreaming the show and sending the beautiful performances across the motu. The videos of performances and presentations will be available on the APRA NZ YouTube channel in coming days. Stay tuned!
APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka winner
Lalelei, written by David Feauai-Afaese*, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule*, Levi Gemmell, Larsen Taylor, and performed by LEAO (*Heard and Seen Publishing)
APRA Maioha Award | Tohu Maioha winner
Puna Ora, written by Charles Looker and Emily Looker, performed by Aro
SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha winner
Light Lines by Dylan Lardelli
Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito | Kapa Haka Songwriting Award winner
Te Tapuni written by Rob Ruha, performed by Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA)
APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award | Tohu Paerangi winner
Claire Cowan for Bust Up
APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa winner
Karl Steven for Pike River (Heard and Seen Publishing)
