NZ On Air Launches New Touring Fund

NZ On Air has announced 20 artists in the first round of its new touring fund.

The very first recipients of the inaugural New Music Project Touring (NMPT) pilot were confirmed today, with the fund set to return in 2026.

The pilot round attracted strong interest from Aotearoa's music community, with NZ On Air receiving 36 applications; of those artists, 20 have received funding. See the full list of artists below:

Alayna
Bic Runga
Delaney Davidson
Deva Mahal
Kaylee Bell
Mel Parsons
Muroki
Rei
Sola Rosa
Theia
Beastwars
Blindspott
Borderline
Corrella
Dick Move
Earth Tongue
Foley
PARK RD
Rhian Sheehan & Arli Liberman
The Black Seeds

Teresa Patterson, NZ On Air Head of Music, says feedback from the pilot round "has been incredibly positive."

"[W]e're really pleased to give even more audiences across the motu the opportunity to experience new music live," Patterson adds.

"This funding is making a tangible difference. Artists are telling us they can add extra dates, reach smaller towns, keep ticket prices affordable, and deliver the kind of production that fans expect. Without this support, many of these tours would have been scaled back, had to increase ticket prices or not happened at all."

"Having the funds will allow us to keep ticket prices at an affordable price for our fans — which is really important in this climate to be able to keep live music accessible — be able to pay our support bands a fair performance fee, and has given us the confidence to be able to expand the tour further into more regions and venues around the moth," says Dick Move lead vocalist Lucy Suttor.

Kaylee Bell says the fund will "level up our show production to the standard we want to be performing at. And it means that our fans will get to experience the best of us, in iconic venues throughout the country," the country star adds.

NZ On Air, with support from the NZ Music Commission, designed the fund to help local artists take their music on the road, connecting with audiences up and down the country through live performances to promote their album or EP release. The fund was open to artists who had received NZ On Air New Music Project (NMP) funding and had not yet released their project.

A range of touring costs will be covered by the fund, including transport, accommodation, marketing, production, venue hire, and session musician fees. The fund provides grants up to $50,000, covering up to 50% of eligible touring costs.

Find out more about NZ On Air here.