The music industry has spoken - and two of its most crucial bodies have listened.

NZ On Air and the NZ Music Commission have unveiled the New Music Project Touring fund, designed 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.” 

From an overall funding pool of $500,000 for the first pilot round, the initiative is calling for applications between $10,000-$50,000 (depending on the scale of the tour) to support a headline national tour - meaning anywhere between 10 and 25 tours could benefit from the fund.

NZ On Air Head of Music, Teresa Patterson explains to The Lowdown “The music community has told us that touring is expensive and risky due to many factors. There has been a noticeable reduction in touring due to the risk (of losing a lot of money). So this funding has been created to help reduce that risk and encourage artists to tour their new releases.”

She states “Live performance is a vital part of how audiences connect with music. This initiative recognises the importance of touring to promote a new body of work, as well as building fanbases and audiences. We’re excited to help more audiences across Aotearoa experience the incredible music being made right here.”

The funding is open to artists who have received NZ On Air New Music Project (NMP) funding and have not yet released their project or announced a tour. It will cover a range of touring costs including transport, accommodation, marketing, production, venue hire and session musician fees.

When asked by The Lowdown how big that group of eligible recipients is, Patterson replied “This is not an easy thing to calculate as we would need to look at who has been funded and hasn’t yet released. However, the reason why the pilot funding round is only open to New Music Project funded artists, is that we have carved the money out of our existing funding - it’s not new money - and with a limited funding pool of $500,000, there needed to be eligible criteria attached.

“Also, in our 2023 Music Funding Review the industry asked us to fund less with more. So, with the New Music Project Touring fund, we are maximising that investment with the artists whose releases can benefit from a headline national tour.”

Other eligibility criteria for the pilot round includes having completed at least one headline National tour in New Zealand (consisting of three or more dates), their next tour including at least two dates outside their home town and the tour to be planned within 6 months of the project release.

Applications can be submitted by artists, managers, artist representatives, booking agents or tour promoters – with the requirement that funding must benefit the artist directly.

Artist manager Pippa Ryan-Kidd is thrilled with the new initiative, adding "In Aotearoa, our musicians are privileged to have opportunity to access funding through our various music industry bodies. This funding can allow for creation, promotion and the overall visibility of our music in Aotearoa today. This visibility is vitally important in today's market where global platforms dominate. 

“We are incredibly grateful for these opportunities, and the New Music Project Programme is an important goal for many artists.”

New award turns fantasy to reality

Speaking of new opportunities - a new award dedicated to an under-represented literary form has been announced.

Speculative fiction - encompassing science fiction, fantasy, and other imaginative storytelling - has a solid and largely unrecognised following in Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands. According to a 2023 survey, over 100 speculative fiction writers are active locally, yet most readers struggle to name even one. 

That’s why The Te Pae Tawhiti Awards have been established - with submissions opening this month and the call going out for judges ahead of the inaugural awards gala being planned for June-July 2026.

“We are thrilled to announce this award for speculative fiction, which will be vital for our creative literary scene here in New Zealand,” states Sharon Manssen, President of SpecFicNZ. 

“Readers are often surprised at how many New Zealand authors write speculative fiction. Lack of awareness is a major issue, and these awards seek to change that. Making speculative fiction accessible and celebrated among young readers and mainstream audiences is core to our mission.”

The creation of theses awards marks a major milestone in SpecFicNZ’s mission to elevate the voices of Māori and Pasifika storytellers on the global stage, as well as showcasing diverse voices from rainbow, neurodivergent, and cultural minority communities.

Jade Kake, a cultural commentator and creative, explains the awards’ name: “Te pae tawhiti means a distant horizon — a metaphor for aiming high and imagining futures just beyond reach. It perfectly captures the spirit of speculative fiction. It reflects the genre’s essence of imagining possible futures and worlds. It also speaks to the boundless potential and limitless imagination of our writers.”

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh praises the initiative, “Awards play a critical role in uplifting new voices and stories that break boundaries. With support, Te Pae Tawhiti could become the South Pacific cousin to storied awards like the Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke.”

Literary commentator and founder of the Ngaio Awards for crime and thrillers, Craig Sisterson, calls the awards "a wonderful initiative" that will help develop this vital slice of New Zealand’s literary landscape, while Melanie Laville-Moore of the Coalition of New Zealand Books adds, “Speculative fiction writers from Aotearoa are amongst the best in the world. These awards are overdue and necessary recognition.”

One name to look out for at the inaugural’s awards will be Octavia Cade - named Creative New Zealand’s 2026 Berlin Writer’s Residency recipient. The biennial award sees CNZ provide an apartment in Friedrichshain in former East Berlin and a stipend of $45,000 towards travel and living costs. 

An established and prize-winning writer of speculative fiction with a PhD in science communication, her application was described as a standout - a novel about Saturn the alligator, a non-fictional creature that really did escape from the Berlin Zoo during World War II.

Cade explains “When Berlin Zoo’s aquarium was bombed in 1943, most of its animals were killed. Not Saturn… he escaped into the streets of Berlin and remained at large for three years, before British soldiers captured him in 1946 and sent him to the Soviets.

“There’s something very surreal about the thought of this alligator roaming through the ruins of a war-torn city. It’s both horrific and darkly comic. Clearly the Berlin of today is very different to the Berlin of WW II, but I’m hoping to use my time there to really cement a sense of place of the city where Saturn lurked, looking for food and shelter amidst the riverbanks and bomb craters.”

Malcolm Burgess CNZ’s Lead Practice Adviser for Literature adds “Octavia’s proposal captured the panel’s imagination on several levels. The facts have been there for over 80 years, but no-one has thought of turning it into a book before now. On top of that, the proposed story is complex, dark, and funny.” 
 

Manuscript of the moment

Before getting your book to print, it needs time, a little spit and polish and - ideally - support.

13 writers have ben given just that after being named the The New Zealand Society of Authors’ CompleteMS recipients - which will provide them with manuscript guidance, receiving a detailed assessment of their manuscript from one of Aotearoa's leading writers and approved assessors, a Q+A session and follow-up support. 

The 2025 recipients are Anna Zam (Auckland), Annabel Wilson (Swannanoa), Lisa Slavich (Whangārei), Barbara Scrivens (Auckland), Tōrea Scott-Fyfe (Wellington), Sarah Pratt (Christchurch), Gráinne Patterson (Lower Hutt), Bede Ngaruko (Auckland), Shelly McNee (Hokitika), Kaye McLaren (Wellington), Jacqui Gregory (Turangi), Denise Harrison Flett (Quebec, Canada), and Virginia Green (Nelson).

The judging panel of independent editor Harriet Allan and award-winning writers Lee Murray and Melinda Szymanik commented “The huge number of applications (98 - a record) was daunting, the selection challenging but cheering, for so many people are keen to hone their manuscripts and develop their skills. And so many of the manuscripts showed such promise that there was a lot of jostling for the thirteen places available. 

“The judging panel would have loved to have had the capacity to award more assessments. Those who missed out should feel confident that their works are still close to completion, as the quality of manuscripts submitted was high.”’

Leadership change

Changes are afoot at one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s high profile arts institutions.

Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi will have a new leadership model, with current Chief Executive Alison Taylor exiting later this year after what she calls “six remarkably rewarding years.” 

There will be a new co-Chief Executives - each overseeing a specific wing of the organisation’s operations. 

In a statement, Taylor noted “Over the next three months, Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi will be making a change to our structure to sharpen our focus on our role as the regional arts trust for Tāmaki Makaurau. This is change that we have been working towards over the last five years as we have aimed to better serve both the increasingly diverse arts, culture and creative communities of Auckland, and the toi Māori sector which has been historically underserved.”

The collective focussed on Hapori ringatoi Māori - Te Manawa - has been running since last year and is led by Chantelle Whaiapu. Under the new structure, Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi’s broader work will operate under the name Creative Tāmaki Makaurau. This is likely an effort to make its role in the sector a little clearer, following the naming conventions of similar regional organisations (ie Creative Waikato, Creative Bay of Plenty, Creative Northland etc).

The hunt is on for a part-time Co-CE to oversee the Creative Tāmaki Makaurau unit on a three-day-a-week basis - details can be found here.

Josh's a gem

Visual designer Josh Morgan’s no stranger to accolades, but he’s been blown away by his latest recognition.

He’s been named the latest recipient of the $30,000 Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award at a ceremony at Wellington literary cornerstone Unity Books on Wednesday night (16 July).

Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau-a-Kai) was bursting with emotion on receiving the biennial prize to spotlight his immense contribution to children’s literature in New Zealand.

 “As a long-time sufferer of self-doubt and imposter syndrome - this is immense. I am still in disbelief. I am so beyond grateful, and I feel truly, truly honoured to be a recipient of the Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award. 

"My hope with this award is that I can continue to play a part in the wonderful children’s literature community, and to develop, share and practice my mahi to make a positive impact on Aotearoa New Zealand and its beautiful people – especially our tamariki.” 

One half of the award-winning duo Cotter & Morgan, he collaborates with author Sacha Cotter to write, illustrate, and perform stories that have captured hearts across Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. Their bilingual picture books – including The Bomb, Dazzlehands / Ringakōreko, and The Marble Maker / Te Kaihanga Māpere – have racked up triumphs like the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, Storylines Notable Book Awards, and international recognition from IBBY and Sourcebooks. Their stories have also been brought to life by the NZ Symphony Orchestra and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. 

Administered by the Arts Foundation, the Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award is backed by two anonymous donors who wish to see excellence in illustration for children recognised and celebrated. 

This isn’t an award you can apply for - it’s chosen by an independent selection panel, this year made up of illustrator Sarah Wilkins, writer John Walsh, and children’s literature expert Dr Libby Limbrick.

The judges declared “Josh Morgan’s illustrative work is an exemplar of all of the criteria for the Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award – both in its richness and range of depth and outstanding quality. The breadth and vigour of his work excites, inspires and engages inquisitive young minds to become life-long readers.” 

Border hopping

Another New Zealander has been added to the 2025 Summer School in the Balkans - Revolutionary Roads. Destination: Comradeship.

Joining the already-announced Matthew Galloway, Indo-Fijian craft and social practitioner, researcher, writer and critical theorist Quishile Charan has been invited to participate fourth edition of the event, after being backed by the Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust’s new Artists Across Borders initiative. 

The Summer School, jointly rub by the Moderna galerija (Ljubljana), the Museum of African Art (Belgrade), and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro sees 28 participants from 21 countries on a nomadic learning experience, exploring the legacy of Yugoslav socialism, solidarity work actions, antifascist monuments, and the cultural connections of the Non-Aligned Movement through a series of lectures, workshops, discussions, and performances. 

Charan - who describes her value set as anarchist—anti-colonial, anti-institution and anti-authority - told The Lowdown “As someone deeply committed to anti-fascist work within Aotearoa and Fiji, it's really important for me understand how other communities are engaged in anti-fascist work and its various contexts worldwide. During the Summer School, I'm hoping to build relationships with new comrades engaged in meaningful, grassroots and community-centred work within an arts context.”

Charan’s work - which approaches craft as a science-fiction practice of building new worlds from the seeds of reality - has also been supported by one of Tautai’s Fale-ships for 2025.

Tautai’s Operations Director, Dr Olivia Laita states "This is our first year launching our Artists Across Borders initiative, which is dedicated to supporting Pasifika Artists who have been invited to participate in international Contemporary Art projects. Often, artists need support from multiple sources to fulfil one project and Artist Across Borders is just that, a top up fund that can make a significant difference. 

“To date, we are proud to have supported three exceptional recipients, including Quishile . Her international project stood out as both compelling and rare. The strength of her application, combined with her remarkable track record, made her a clear and deserving recipient of this support. We look forward to hearing all about it on her return!" 

Interdisciplinary artist Galloway’s attendance comes through a travel grant from the Office for Contemporary Art Aotearoa - with his and Charan’s attendance coming from what selectors call a very high standard of applications from New Zealand. 

Young talent recognised

Age is just a number - a phrase usually heard from those not letting their seniority stop them from ripping in. But it also counts the other way too, with the youngest ever winner of the National Youth Art Awards.

Run by the Waikato Society of Arts for the last 15 years, this years event attracted a record 393 entries, which were trimmed to 60 finalists, with the top prizes and $11,000 prize pool handed out over three age categories - as chosen by the judges, gallery director and MESH Sculpture Trust curator Laree Payne (Ngāi Tahu) with Creative Waikato CEO and artist Dr. Jeremy Mayall.

The overall winner came from the youngest age grade for the first time ever, with Poppy Beasant also winning the 13-14 years category with her work ‘Freedom.’ Angela Yafei Yang (Merit Award), Ethan Chen (Faith Thomas Drawing Award) and Jessica Zheng (Sustainability Award) were also recognised in the same age group.

Beasant said the painting is of her pony who is her best friend - she wasn’t aware there was prize money so received a pleasant surprise to bank $2000 from both awards. The judges remarked on the innocence and honesty in the Beasant’s work.

Another Poppy was victorious as well, with Poppy Buller’s ‘Born This Way’ claiming the $2,000 first place in the 15-19 years age range, edging Ronald Wang (Merit Award), Ava Costello (PICT Award), Penamino Tuia (Print Award), Ruby-May Maddock (Sculpture Award) and Boya Jing (Sustainability Award).

Buller reacts “I can’t believe I won! Thank you so much for the support and the judges’ commentary on my painting was so perfect!”, adding  “I will definitely come to Hamilton to see my piece in a real exhibition. It’s amazing that young artists from across NZ, including myself, have had this opportunity.”

Wang’s response highlights the value of awards like these in propelling creative careers.  “It acts as an encouragement for me, motivating me for the future of my arts journey. Receiving this prize and selling my artwork has been my greatest highlight of this year, being both encouraging and inspiring. This opportunity reinforces my commitment to developing my artistic skills further. This will motivate me to explore and grow further in my practice, building on my foundation in sketching while expanding into oil painting.”

Molly Ratana’s ‘Kōuma’ was declared the $2,000 winner of the 20-25 years category, with Sophia Kilgour (Merit Award), Stevie Fiske (Photography Award) and Portia Roper (Sustainability Award) among those singled out as well.