Funding rounds & dates

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.

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.

Waiata Takitahi

Waiata Takitahi is a co-fund launched in 2020 as a collaboration between Te Māngai Pāho and NZ On Air. 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
Information Webinar - TBC 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.

Oro Kura Roa

Oro Kura Roa supports 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 2024, ensuring that there is a steady flow of waiata reo Māori for radio and streaming platforms.

Oro Hāpai

Oro Hāpai funding supports reputable music organisations to host songwriting camps and collaborative initiatives that develop popular contemporary waiata reo Māori. Proposed collaborations should aim to grow the confidence and capability of New Zealanders to write reo Māori songs in popular genres. Focus should be on completing lyrics, song structures and melodies, and recording songs to studio demo level. The expectation is that demos will be polished later, to release-standard, and made available to the public. 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.

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.