2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards


The 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Thursday 29 September 2016 at Vector Arena in Auckland, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting.

Silver Scroll award

The Silver Scroll award celebrates outstanding achievement in songwriting of original New Zealand pop music. The short list of finalists was announced on 1 September.
The music director for 2016 was musician and 2007 Silver Scroll nominee Sean James Donnelly. As well as overseeing all music performances, he was arranged for the five Silver Scroll finalists to be covered in a unique style by different artists.
SongwriterSongActCovering artist
Lydia Cole"Dream"Lydia Cole
Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde, William Ricketts, Thomas Callwood, Christopher O’Connor"Give Up Your Dreams"The Phoenix Foundation
Thomas Oliver"If I Move To MarsThomas Oliver
Emily Littler, Billie Rogers, Alex Brown, Christopher Farnham"Pedestrian Support League"Street Chant
Tami Neilson, Jay Neilson"The First Man"Tami Neilson

Long list

In July 2016 a top 20 long list was announced. From this list APRA members voted to decide the five songs that will make up the year's short list. Three-time Silver Scroll winner Dave Dobbyn is among the 20 songwriters.
Singer-songwriter Moana Maniapoto will be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the Silver Scroll awards ceremony in September.

Other awards

Six other awards will be presented at the Silver Scroll Awards: APRA Maioha Award, SOUNZ Contemporary Award, and APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award. The award for the most performed New Zealand song in New Zealand and overseas was dropped in 2016.
AwardNominees
APRA Maioha Award
  • Rob Ruha "Kariri"
  • Thomas Rawiri, Mokoia Huata - "Mana Whenua"
  • Kirsten Te Rito, James Illingworth, Joseph Te Rito – "Tamaiti Ngaro"
SOUNZ Contemporary Award
  • Kenneth Young - "Piano Trio"
  • Salina Fisher - "Rainphase"
  • Chris Cree Brown - "Viola Concerto"
    • APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award
  • Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde - Hunt for the Wilderpeople
  • Mahuia Bridgeman-Cooper, Tama Waipara - Mahana
  • Tom McLeod - The Art of Recovery
    • APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award
  • Karl Steven - 800 Words
  • Age Pryor - Jiwi’s Machines
  • Tami Neilson, Jay Neilson - The Brokenwood Mysteries

    • APRA song awards

    Outside of the Silver Scroll Awards, APRA presented six genre awards in 2016. The APRA Best Pacific Song was presented at the Pacific Music Awards, the APRA Best Country Music Song was presented at the New Zealand Country Music Awards, the APRA Best Māori Songwriter will be presented at the Waiata Maori Music Awards and the APRA Children’s Song of the Year and What Now Video of the Year will be presented live on What Now. For the first time in 2016, the award for Best Jazz Composition was awarded, presented at the National Jazz Festival.
    AwardSongwriterActSong
    APRA Best Pacific SongOpetaia Foa’iTe Vaka"Papua I Sisifo"
    APRA Best Country Music SongMel ParsonsMel Parsons"Alberta Sun"
    APRA Best Jazz CompositionCallum AllardiceCallum Allardice"Sons of Thunder"
    APRA Best Māori SongwriterRob Ruha
    APRA Children's Song of the YearLucy Hiku & Jenny PayneItty Bitty Beats"Pō Mārie"
    What Now Children’s Video of the YearRainbow RosalindRainbow Rosalind"Aotearoa, Home of Our Hearts"