NZ Music Month / Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa - Week 2 Highlights

We've entered week two of what's turned out to be a bustling and reinvigorated NZ Music Month / Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa, orbiting around 2024's key theme of Amplifying Aotearoa. This week's sub-theme is Amplifying Schools — stave off the sudden cold snap with a comfy winter jacket / beanie and check out the smorgasbord of sonic-related offerings happening all around Aotearoa below, including NZMM initiatives, programmes, exhibitions and competitions. There's even more significant events on the horizon for May, including the 2024 NZ Music Month Summit and the Aotearoa Music Awards presentation ceremony, plus you can rep Split Enz's AudioCulture #1 Classic album True Colours with snazzy enamel pins and stamps courtesy of NZ Post.

Happening this week in New Zealand Music Month, check out the UTR gig guide HERE and the NZMM gig guide HERE for live shows and more events nationwide.

Off Your Rockers chorus perform at the Nelson Public Library - Thursday 9th May (free)

Auckland Live at Lunch ft. Julien Dyne (Live) at The Civic Foyer - Friday 10th May, 12.15pm to 1pm (free)
The Civic Foyer will transform into a musical hangout where people can enjoy FREE lunchtime gigs featuring local legends.

Beginners Ukulele Class for NZ Music Month at Albany Village Library - Friday 10th May (free)

Far North's Got Talent Audition 4: Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Pukemiro - Friday 10th May, 5.30pm
You must be attending a school or Alternative ed program based in the Far North/Te Hiku region, more info HERE

Tiny Rave at Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber - Saturday 11th May, 10am to noon (free)
Tiny Rave is a space for our littlest music fans to party with their whānau and let loose on the dance floor. Recommended for ravers 8 and under & their adults. Free ticket allocation has now been exhausted, there will be a number of walk-up tickets available on the day.

Word Gets Around: Songwriting With Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders at Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival - Saturday 11th May, 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Anzac Hall will invite legendary songwriters Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders to share their songwriting wisdoms with Lucy Cooper. Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders are storytellers who use music as their medium, and coming together as collaborators has taken them in new and exciting directions.

Geneva AM launch event at Winter Gardens, Auckland - Saturday 11th May, 1pm
The award winning wahine, beat maker, producer and vocalist celebrates her new single 'Pikipiki' and showcases the mixtape journey app 'Pickpath'. It’s an interactive app that provides audio tours, interactive adventures, audience aids for performances, live guides for festivals.

Take It To The Streets ft. Poetik, Kumbaya, Nathan Grey, Kyla Greening, DJ Scizzorhands at Kingsland's Royal Plaza Train Station - Saturday 11th May, 5.30pm to 8.30pm (free)

MusicHelps Fundraiser ft. Wiri Donna, Reid, Eli Superflyy, Daisy Grae, Hearth at Meow, Wellington - Saturday 11th May

Te Anau Vocal Workshop with Anna van Riel (and later Anna van Riel LIVE) in Te Anau - Saturday 11th May

Ongoing:

FromThePit 2024 New Zealand Music Photography Exhibition online HERE plus venues nationwide (for venue information head along to fromthepit.co.nz/venues) 
FromThePit serves as a curated collection of live music photography, focusing exclusively on New Zealand musicians performing in local venues. This year, 66 photographers will contribute their recent work to the exhibition, providing a comprehensive view of the country’s diverse musical landscape.

Auckland Live Celebrates New Zealand Music Month 
There’s something for everyone, so come on down and celebrate the stories, experiences, and live music of Aotearoa right here in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau. Explore a range of live music playing in our venues, including gigs, classical performances, and more. This week's events include Auckland Live at Lunch! starring Julien Dyne in The Civic Foyer this Friday from 12.15pm (free), and the kid-friendly Tony Rave in Auckland Town Hall's Concert Chamber on Saturday 11th May from 10am onwards (free).

May Music Month 2024, Palmerston North City Centre 
Celebrating and profiling our local musical talent through a series of events & performances throughout the City Centre in May, providing a variety of genres so there is something for everyone’s ears.

Art On Record - Kumeu Arts Members for NZ Music Month at Kumeu Arts Centre - up to Saturday 25th May
Member artists have been asked to create LP, album covers for real or imagined bands or musicians. 

Troy Kingi's Desert Hikoi is available to stream on TVNZ+ in celebration of New Zealand Music Month. Follow Troy as he takes a spiritual journey to California's iconic Joshua Tree National Park, in search of creative inspiration from this epic desert environment and its local people. Made with the support of NZ On Air, stream the series HERE.

DEPOT Sound North Shore Schools Songwriting Competition - if you are a current North Shore Intermediate or Secondary School student, you can submit your original song by Friday 31st May HERE.