Announcing the winners of the 2025 Aotearoa Children's Music Awards | Ngā Manu Tīrairaka

Recorded Music NZ, APRA AMCOS, and NZ On Air are bursting with excitement to share the winners for the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards | Ngā Manu Tīrairaka– celebrating music written and recorded for children.

This afternoon at a family friendly event at the Tuning Fork, Auckland, children's music creators from across the motu joined forces to celebrate and spotlight tunes especially made for the tamariki of Aotearoa and beyond.

Christchurch-based Loopy Tunes were announced as winners in an exceptional three categories including the coveted Tūī for Recorded Music NZ Te Manu Taki Kerekahu o te Tau | Best Children's Music Artist. This is the first Aotearoa Children’s Awards win for the sibling music duo of Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington, who released their first recordings for children in 2019. Bringing a super-fun vibe to the children’s music world, they create waiatareorua/bilingual Māori and Pasifika children’s music, sung in their own harmonious style. With Māori and Tongan ancestry, Loopy Tunes’ kaupapa is to normalise the use of Māori and Pacific languages in everyday life, through music. Currently playing shows at festivals and libraries, touring their most recent album ‘Matariki’, they regularly perform their Outreach Music Classes, visit preschools, and run workshops for educators – all while continuing to create episodes for their YouTube series Music Time with Loopy Tunes

Also from Christchurch, Michal Bush, who performs under the name Music with Michal won the APRA Best Children’s Song – Primary | He Pī Ka Rere for her fun guitar-based pop song ‘Shapes and Colours’, bringing vibrancy and fun to fundamental learning.Having won a Tūī for Best Children’s Artist in 2022, Michal continues to create joyful, imaginative songs and videos for young children and their families.

2025 Ngā Manu Tīrairaka | NZ Children’s Music Awards winners

APRA Best Children’s Song – Preschool | He Manu Pīpī:
'Lele Means Run' written by Siu Williams-Lemi, performed by Leah Williams-Partington and Siu Williams-Lemi of Loopy Tunes Preschool Music

APRA Best Children’s Song – Primary | He Pī Ka Rere:
'Shapes And Colours' written by Michal Bush, performed by Music with Michal

NZ On Air Best Children’s Music Video | He Manu Tūtei:

'The Maui Dolphin' written by Siu Williams-Lemi, performed by Leah Williams-Partington and Siu Williams-Lemi of Loopy Tunes Preschool Music, animation by Ross Payne

Recorded Music NZ Te Manu Taki Kerekahu o te Tau | Best Children's Music Artist:

Loopy Tunes Preschool Music for Kahurangi – Little Treasures

Also presented was the Kōkako Award, designed to nurture our young performers in their endeavours – it was won by 11-year-old Emery Goodwin. The judges said, "Emery stood out with a performance full of maturity, vocal range, and expressive depth." Emery will have the original song ‘Enjoy The Ride’, written by her mother, arranged by the Auckland Philharmonia and will get to perform it live on stage with the orchestra later this year.

Sistema Aotearoa were honoured as 2025 recipients of the Baysting Prize for Children’s Champion. Since 2011, Sistema Aotearoa have been providing free, high-quality music education to tamariki in South Auckland, with a focus on building strong communities through collective music-making. The award, established in 2019 by APRA AMCOS, is presented in honour of the late Arthur Baysting.

The Awards were held this afternoon, Sunday 29 June, at a special family friendly event at The Tuning Fork in Tāmaki Makaurau.  Hosted by Suzy Cato alongside a gaggle of talented tamariki and rangatahi, the celebration was preceded by a public Sounds Fun event that included performances from several Aotearoa Children’s Music Awards finalists.

Presented by Recorded Music NZ, APRA AMCOS NZ, and NZ On Air, the Awards have the support of Kiwi Kids Music – the national association of children’s songwriters, creators and producers. Formed by some of the most passionate creators of music for kiwi kids, the association supports NZ children’s music creators and seeks to advance the potential of all our children to live healthy fulfilling lives.

Thanks to all the performers and presenters, APRA AMCOS NZ, Recorded Music NZ, Spark Arena, NZ On Air, NZ Music Commission, Kiwi Kids Music, NZ Opera and the Auckland Philharmonia. A Spotify playlist celebrating this year's finalists, is available here

For all media enquiries including interview requests, please contact:

Lauren Clough
Maiden NZ Entertainment
lauren@maidennz.com
021 223 6788