Māori music

Te Māngai Pāho provides contestable pūtea tautoko to artists and producers who make reo Māori music for airplay and streaming. Oro Kura Roa; Waiata Takitahi; Oro Hāpai; Waiata Reo Māori; Waiata Tuarea; funding also is available for initiatives that widely promote and celebrate waiata reo Māori - Music Industry & Artist Support.


Oro Kura Roa

Te Māngai Pāho has launched a new funding initiative, Oro Kura Roa, which seeks to support an emerging music artist to write a series of waiata in te reo Māori. The intention is to aid in the development of their repertoire, experience, and professional music career.

The successful recipient will complete a body of work within a three month period during which they will receive a stipend, studio support and industry mentoring.

Their waiata project will need to be ready for release in the second half of 2023, ensuring that there is a steady flow of waiata reo Māori for radio and streaming platforms.

Funding round dates July 2022 - June 2023
Round
Deadline
Decisions
Oro Kura Roa
closed
Wed 26 Oct 2022, 5PM
Fri 28 Oct 2022
Funding round dates July 2023 - June 2024

No round information available yet. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.


Waiata Takitahi

Waiata Takitahi is a co-fund launched in 2020 as a collaboration between Te Māngai Pāho and NZ On Air. It was the first time the two funding agencies have officially joined forces on a waiata funding initiative. The ambition for the fund is to enable the creation of brand new songs incorporating Te Reo Māori to target big audience platforms.

We are seeking applications from New Zealand artists who are interested in recording and releasing a bilingual single with potential general audience appeal and a minimum of 25% te reo Māori in the song lyrics. We are looking for songs that will target online and broadcast audiences and have the potential to find a home on mainstream playlists.

Artists can come from any background but the use of te reo Māori in the song will be expected to be overseen by a reo Māori language consultant to ensure quality control and contextual relevance in the song. For applicants who are not in a position to confirm a language consultant before the application deadline, there will be an opportunity to be matched with a range of consultants via Te Māngai Pāho.

Pūtea is available to put towards the costs of recording a single song, creating video content and other visual collateral, and putting resources towards promotion, publicity, and marketing for the single release. Funds can also be used to pay for the services of a reo Māori language consultant.

More information on the Waiata Takitahi round is provided in the links below:

Waiata Takitahi Application Guidelines
Waiata Takitahi Guidelines & Criteria List
Waiata Takitahi FAQ and Detailed Criteria
Register for the webinar - 6:30pm Thursday 27 October 2022.

Funding round dates July 2022 - June 2023
Round
Deadline
Decisions
Waiata Takitahi
closed
Thu 10 Nov 2022, 4PM
Fri 16 Dec 2022
Funding round dates July 2023 - June 2024

No round information available yet. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.


Oro Hāpai

The intention of Oro Hāpai funding is to support the coming together of contemporary music writers and creatives to create new waiata reo Māori to demo level. It is essential that a suitably qualified Mātanga Reo (Reo Māori Consultant) is among the collaborators. Applicants and participants with a track record of writing popular waiata for New Zealand audiences will be prioritised.

Contact the Mātanga Puoro to discuss your project before applying.

Eligible costs: Mātanga Reo, collaborators, studio or venue hire. Other reasonable costs may be considered.

Funding round dates July 2022 - June 2023
Round
Deadline
Decisions
Oro Hāpai
closed
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 5PM
Fri 16 Sep 2022
Oro Hāpai R2
closed
Fri 11 Nov 2022, 5PM
Fri 16 Dec 2022
Funding round dates July 2023 - June 2024

No round information available yet. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.


Waiata Reo Māori

Funding is available for the production and promotion (including aligned video assets) of single waiata containing 50% or more reo Māori, that are original, and have not been released before. Proposed waiata should be primed for radio airplay. Songs for rangatahi audiences will be prioritised.

Eligible costs: Mātanga Reo (Reo Māori Consultant), studio engineer, music producer, music director, session musicians, studio hire, mixing, mastering, video asset creation, publicist, campaign services. Other reasonable costs may be considered.

Funding round dates July 2022 - June 2023
Round
Deadline
Decisions
Round 1
closed
Mon 18 Jul 2022, 12PM
Fri 12 Aug 2022
Round 2
closed
Fri 23 Sep 2022, 5PM
Fri 21 Oct 2022
Round 3
closed
Fri 24 Feb 2023, 5PM
Fri 17 Mar 2023
Round 4
Fri 21 Apr 2023, 5PM
Fri 19 May 2023

Waiata Tuarea

Funding is available for the production and promotion (including aligned video assets) of multiple waiata intended for an EP or album. A minimum of three songs are required for Waiata Tuarea funding; each being original, previously unreleased, and containing more than 50% reo Māori. Artists with a track record of releasing popular music will be prioritised.

Contact our Mātanga Puoro to discuss your project before applying.

Eligible costs: Mātanga Reo (Reo Māori Consultant), studio engineer, music producer, music director, session musicians, studio hire, mixing, mastering, video asset creation, publicist, campaign services. Other reasonable costs may be considered.

Funding round dates July 2022 - June 2023
Round
Deadline
Decisions
Round 1
open
Wed 29 Mar 2023, 5PM
Fri 21 Apr 2023

Music Industry & Artist Support

Supporting established music organisations and initiatives.

Waiata Reo Māori Platform Features

This contestable funding opportunity will support media and broadcast organisations to resource the making of Waiata Reo Māori Feature content for their platform.