The first awards for New Zealand recorded music were the
Loxene Golden Disc awards, launched in 1965. The awards were created by soap powder manufacturer
Reckitt & Colman's advertising agency, with support from the
New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC), the
New Zealand Federation of Phonographic Industries and the
Australasian Performing Rights Society (APRA), with the awards named after
Reckitt & Colman's anti-dandruff shampoo, Loxene. While initially only one prize was given, other awards were added, including categories for record cover, recording artist of the year, and a producer award. From 1970, two awards were given—one to a solo artist, the other to a group however there was still just one supreme award, selected from these two. The Loxene Golden Disc awards continued until 1972 when the New Zealand Federation of Phonographic Industry decided to institute its own system; these awards became known as the
Recording Arts Talent Awards (RATA). From 1978 the awards became known as the RIANZ Awards after the NZFPI changed its name to the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). In 1996 and 1997 the awards were merged with the Entertainer of the Year Awards and were known as the Clear Music and Entertainment Awards, sponsored by
Clear Communications. From 1998 the awards reverted to music only, with the name going back to the New Zealand Music Awards and the award trophy nicknamed the Tui. Also in 1999
Coca-Cola New Zealand became the naming rights sponsor of the awards, known as the Coca-Cola New Zealand Music Awards for one year only. Since 2004, the show's principal sponsor has been
Vodafone New Zealand. With Vodafone's sponsorship, the awards became known as the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards (VNZMA's). In 2008 the awards ceremony moved to
Vector Arena in
Auckland,
New Zealand. Prior to this move the event was primarily invitation only, and the increased size of the Vector Arena enabled the event to be attended both by invitation and by the public through sale tickets. While the Loxene Golden Disc award was televised in the 1970s, broadcasting of the contemporary award ceremony started in 2004. In 2020, the awards were renamed the
Aotearoa Music Awards; its acronym doubly serves to mean a
waka's
outrigger (), reflecting the awards' goal of supporting the local music industry. No public or televised ceremony was held for the
2022 awards due concerns around the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, no awards were held, due to RMNZ choosing to review the format. From 2024, the awards were moved from November to May to coincide with
New Zealand Music Month; nominations for the 2024 awards, held 30 May, had an extended eligibility period dating back to 2022. ==New Zealand Music Hall of Fame==