Some of Māoridom's up and coming musicians have been named as finalists for this year's prestigious Vodafone NZ Music Awards.
Among the hopefuls is first-timer Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui), also known as TEEKS, who debuted at number ten on the NZ Official Top 40 chart for "The Grapefruit Skies" EP.
He is up for three awards, nominated in the Best Soul RnB Artist, Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist and the Breakthrough Artist of the Year categories.
Other Māori artists to make an appearance on the red carpet are Sons of Zion (Best Roots Artist), Tomorrow People (Best Roots Artist), KINGS (Three Best Solo Artist, Best Hip Hop Artist, Vodafone People's Choice), Alien Weaponry and Maisey Rika who are both up for the Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist.
TEEKS will also be showcasing the fruits of his hard work throughout the last 12 months on stage as one of the performances of the night.
The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards is a platform that celebrates and recognises the talent New Zealand has on offer and the hard work that has been put in to creating music across a number of genres and categories.
The event will be held November 16 at Auckland's Spark Arena. For more information, check out the VNZMA website.