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New Zealand Music Month

New Zealand Music Month - Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa

Christchurch City Libraries celebrates NZ Music Month during May every year. Find out more about this month-long celebration, and our music resources.

Events

NZ Music Month events

View more events

NZ Music Month

About New Zealand Music Month

NZ Music Month was first celebrated in 2001. That May, only 6 per cent of album sales for the month were by New Zealand acts. Aiming to boost homegrown music, the initiative gave the media a chance to showcase local talent.

After five years of NZ Music Month, homegrown acts made up 29 per cent of albums sold, and there was similar increase in radio airplay. In the last couple of years, the month has started to become a truly national celebration, with the public encouraged to show their support through attending events, buying music and wearing the T-shirt.

NZ Music Month is a partnership between the NZ Music Commission and a number of other organisations including songwriters’ association APRA, Independent Music NZ, NZ On Air, the Radio Broadcasters Association and Recorded Music New Zealand.

NZ Music Month - Battle of the Libraries Quiz

Friday 1 May to Sunday 31 May 2026.
Participate in the New Zealand Music Month Quiz and help your local library claim the Battle of the Libraries winner's trophy. Prizes to be won! No age limit.

Pick up your quiz sheet at participating libraries:

Completed quiz sheets must be returned to a participating library by closing Sunday 31 May. Winners will be selected by random draw and will be announced on the library website.

Explore New Zealand music

Lists

Staff List

Books about albums from Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand titles from the famous 33 1/3 Bloomsbury series that delves into various artists, bands, and albums.
Donna_R
Staff List

Aotearoa New Zealand music books

A selection of books about NZ music for NZ Music Month.
Donna_R
Staff List

Dunedin Sound in print

A selection of essay compilations and memoirs available at Christchurch City Libraries that cover the history of Dunedin music.
kimkiwi
Community List

Highways and Byways of contemporary music in Aotearoa

Explore some of the interesting and enlightening paths contemporary pūoro has taken in Aotearoa.
NoelMeek
Staff List

Books about albums from Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand titles from the famous 33 1/3 Bloomsbury series that delves into various artists, bands, and albums.
Donna_R
Staff List

Aotearoa New Zealand music books

A selection of books about NZ music for NZ Music Month.
Donna_R
Staff List

Dunedin Sound in print

A selection of essay compilations and memoirs available at Christchurch City Libraries that cover the history of Dunedin music.
kimkiwi
Community List

Highways and Byways of contemporary music in Aotearoa

Explore some of the interesting and enlightening paths contemporary pūoro has taken in Aotearoa.
NoelMeek

Featured content

New Zealand String Quartet – Te Rōpū Tūrū o Aotearoa.

May 8th | 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Music, storytelling, and imagery by Gavin Bishop - the NZSQ reimagines Aotearoa’s creation myths in an engaging, whānau-friendly performance
Item 1 of 4

Music set on Canterbury Stories

Māori Music

Māori music — Taonga Puoro

Information and resources about Māori musical traditions and taonga puoro.

Ngā Whāinga – Challenges – WAIATA

This school holidays, our Māori Services team bring you activities for tamariki. Today: Ngā Whāinga – Challenges - WAIATA

Ngā Whāinga – Challenges – TAONGA PUORO

This school holidays, our Māori Services team bring you activities for tamariki. Today: Ngā Whāinga – Challenges - TAONGA PUORO

Māori music — Taonga Puoro

Information and resources about Māori musical traditions and taonga puoro.

Ngā Whāinga – Challenges – WAIATA

This school holidays, our Māori Services team bring you activities for tamariki. Today: Ngā Whāinga – Challenges - WAIATA

Ngā Whāinga – Challenges – TAONGA PUORO

This school holidays, our Māori Services team bring you activities for tamariki. Today: Ngā Whāinga – Challenges - TAONGA PUORO

NZ Music and Musicians

Highways and Byways of contemporary music in Aotearoa

Explore some of the interesting and enlightening paths contemporary pūoro has taken in Aotearoa.

Ideal Home Noise - Vera Ellen: WORD Christchurch 2024

"Music is how I say the things I really want to say". Vera Ellen & Fazerdaze talk about making music, songwriting, & Vera plays some songs.

Kommi me ana Tipua: WORD Christchurch 2024

Malcolm: "This performance was a study in controlled refinement, with The Piano's excellent acoustics rendering the music in fine detail".

WORD Chch 2023: Roy Montgomery & Clementine Valentine

The theme is absence, essence, death, and endurance. Roy Montgomery and Clementine Valentine play music, & Roy reads poems from his new book

Highways and Byways of contemporary music in Aotearoa

Explore some of the interesting and enlightening paths contemporary pūoro has taken in Aotearoa.

Ideal Home Noise - Vera Ellen: WORD Christchurch 2024

"Music is how I say the things I really want to say". Vera Ellen & Fazerdaze talk about making music, songwriting, & Vera plays some songs.

Kommi me ana Tipua: WORD Christchurch 2024

Malcolm: "This performance was a study in controlled refinement, with The Piano's excellent acoustics rendering the music in fine detail".

WORD Chch 2023: Roy Montgomery & Clementine Valentine

The theme is absence, essence, death, and endurance. Roy Montgomery and Clementine Valentine play music, & Roy reads poems from his new book

Library resources

Streaming New Zealand music

Streaming NZ music posts and resources

Naxos Music Library

Online classical music library of streaming music. Includes standard and rare recordings, album notes, reference and tuition material.

Walton conducts Walton - free online New Zealand music

Walton conducts Walton – The 1964 New Zealand Tour – free online New Zealand music on Naxos Music Library.

Spark New Zealand Piano Trios - Featuring NZTrio – free online New Zealand music

Spark New Zealand Piano Trios present cutting-edge music for piano trios performed by the brightest new stars in the firmament of New…

Prospero Dreaming - New Zealand Guitar Music by Lilburn and Farquhar – free online New Zealand music

Today we present New Zealand Guitar Music by Lilburn and Farquhar - the first comprehensive recorded survey of the guitar music of  these…

Naxos Music Library

Online classical music library of streaming music. Includes standard and rare recordings, album notes, reference and tuition material.

Walton conducts Walton - free online New Zealand music

Walton conducts Walton – The 1964 New Zealand Tour – free online New Zealand music on Naxos Music Library.

Spark New Zealand Piano Trios - Featuring NZTrio – free online New Zealand music

Spark New Zealand Piano Trios present cutting-edge music for piano trios performed by the brightest new stars in the firmament of New…

Prospero Dreaming - New Zealand Guitar Music by Lilburn and Farquhar – free online New Zealand music

Today we present New Zealand Guitar Music by Lilburn and Farquhar - the first comprehensive recorded survey of the guitar music of  these…

AudioCulture Iwi Waiata

AudioCulture is, “the noisy library of New Zealand music”. It is an online celebration of the people who have created the music, the scenes they shaped, and the audiences they played to. Read about People, Labels and related Articles, listen to music (via Spotify and Soundcloud), watch music videos (via NZ On Screen and YouTube), listen to interviews and performances (via Radio New Zealand National), view images (photographs, posters, hand-written song lyrics and more), and browse discographies (via Discogs).

Music at Christchurch City Libraries

We have music resources including CDs, LPs and DVDs as well as thousands of music scores, music magazines, and online music in eResources.

Explore our page about New Zealand music including:

Previous years

See what we did in:

2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2004.

Puoro - Music

Puoro - Music

Listen online, research, or make music of your own at the library.

Music events at the library

View more events
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