\u201cE mihi ana ki a koe m\u014d m\u0101h\u0101ra [thank you for your memory], Dylan Taite, and to the Taite family for your legacy \u2013 not only for this award, but for the incredible standard you brought to journalism in New Zealand,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Collaborator and co-writer KOMMI accepted the award on Williams\u2019 behalf.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you very much to my fellow musicians \u2013 incredible music you all put out this year \u2013 very honoured to be amongst your number. KOMMI, without your help, I wouldn\u2019t have made this record at all. Thanks for representing this record in the room,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s winner, indigenous electronic musician Mokotron (Tiopira McDowell, Ng\u0101ti Hine) announced Williams\u2019 win and performed live for attendees.<\/p>\n
It marks the second consecutive year a M\u0101ori-led project has taken the top prize.<\/p>\n
Other honours on the night recognised rising and established artists from across the motu, including Geneva AM, who won the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut Award for her record Pikipiki, <\/p>\n
The bilingual work spans the genres of classical, drum and bass, and hiko.<\/p>\n
Iconic alternative rockers The Mint Chicks were awarded the Independent Music NZ Classic Record Award for their 2006 release Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!<\/p>\n
With albums only eligible for the prize 20 years on from their release, the trophy recognises records with lasting influence on Aotearoa\u2019s sonic landscape.<\/p>\n
Formed at \u014crewa College, the band went on to become one of the country\u2019s most influential and experimental acts of the 2000s, eventually relocating to Portland, United States.<\/p>\n
The Mint Chicks, made up of Ruban Nielson, Michael Logie, Paul Roper and Kody Nielson and pictured here in 2007, were recognised for their album Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Photo \/ Sandra Mu, Getty Images<\/p>\n
Rosa Nevison, Flynn Robson and Sam Elliott received the NZ On Air Outstanding Music Journalism Award for their independent music publication Newzician Magazine, and the 2026 Independent Spirit Award was given to Carmel Bennett.<\/p>\n
Other nominees for the Taite Music Prize included punk five-piece Dick Move, post-punk band Ringlets and rapper Tom Scott.<\/p>\n
Hosted at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, the awards are named in honour of the late Dylan Taite, a Liverpool-born music journalist who interviewed many of the world\u2019s biggest musicians and helped shape music journalism in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Some 500 people walked Penelope Noir\u2019s Black Carpet, with a portion of ticket sales going to the charity Music Helps.<\/p>\n
2026 Taite Music Prize \u2013 Marlon Williams \u2013 Te Whare T\u012bwekaweka<\/p>\n
2026 Auckland Live Best Independent Debut \u2013 Geneva AM \u2013 Pikipiki<\/p>\n
2026 Independent Spirit Award \u2013 Carmel Bennett<\/p>\n
NZ on Air Outstanding Music Journalism Award \u2013 Rosa Nevison, Sam Elliott and Flynn Robson for Newzician Magazine<\/p>\n
Independent Music NZ Classic Record Award \u2013 The Mint Chicks \u2013 Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cE mihi ana ki a koe m\u014d m\u0101h\u0101ra [thank you for your memory], Dylan Taite, and to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403161,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2246,695,4765,26652,10779,9063,430,156,2082,7568,21556,33622,157,117,111,139,69,10512,1439,207887,3010,13971,6202],"class_list":["post-403160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-2246","tag-album","tag-annual","tag-aotearoas","tag-awards","tag-celebration","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-for","tag-honour","tag-independent","tag-marlon","tag-music","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-prize","tag-scene","tag-taite","tag-top","tag-williams","tag-wins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}