Rob Ruha secured a historic win at the 2026 APRA Silver Scroll Awards in Auckland on Wednesday night, taking home the inaugural Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito (Kapa Haka Songwriting Award) for Te Tapuni, performed by Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA) at this year’s regional Te Matatini qualifiers for Mataatua.
Held as part of APRA’s wider centenary milestone celebrating a century of representing songwriters, the awards introduced the dedicated kapa haka category to recognise the foundational role composers (kaitito) play in local music identity.
“Only took one hundred years, but never mind,” Ruha said.
Kapa Haka: The original Silver Scrolls
From ancient traditions to modern stages like Te Matatini, kapa haka has long served as a primary medium for Māori to document history and voice perspectives on a wide range of issues.
Ruha said the mainstream acknowledgment has been a long time coming.
“It is amazing that kapa haka composers are being recognised amongst such great contributors to Aotearoa music, because for thousands of years whānau we have been doing this.”
“My solo journey has only been 13 years deep, but my kapa haka one has been as long as I can remember, and so this is an amazing start. Tēnā koutou APRA.”
Fierce competition
The inaugural Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito award, judged strictly on composition rather than performance, featured a competitive shortlist of top-tier traditional and contemporary creators:
- Te Tapuni (Winner) — Written by Rob Ruha, performed by Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA).
- Wai Ka Tuku Wai Ka Hono — Written by Tā Derek Lardelli, Te Rauhuia Ngata, Ani Piki Tuari, and Hamiora Tuari; performed by Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti.
- Ka Mutu Te Aroha — Written by Dr Hinurewa Poutu and Tawaroa Kawana (TAWAZ); performed by Te Whare Haka o Te Puku.
Ruha said it was about time kapa haka composers got their time to shine.
“All of our festivals, don’t ring up our kapa haka groups and expect them to do it for a pat on the back; they are artists too.”
“They give up thousands and thousands just like everyone else to master their craft; we have to make sure the pay equity comes to those performers too.”
Broad recognition across categories
The evening also celebrated major achievements across other contemporary, Pacific, and screen composition categories.
Pacific neo-psychedelia group LEAO made history of their own, taking out the coveted APRA Silver Scroll Award (Kaitito Kaiaka) for LALELEI. Written by David Feauai-Afaese, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, Levi Gemmell, and Larsen Taylor, the track marks the first time a song written entirely in Gagana Samoa has won New Zealand’s top songwriting prize.
Other category winners included:
- APRA Maioha Award (Tohu Maioha): Puna Ora, written by Charles Looker and Emily Looker and performed by Aro, honouring excellence in contemporary te reo Māori composition.
- SOUNZ Contemporary Award (Te Tohu Auaha): Dylan Lardelli for Light Lines, celebrating excellence in contemporary classical composition.
- APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award (Tohu Paerangi): Claire Cowan for Bust Up.
- APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award (Tohu Pūmanawa): Karl Steven for Pike River.
The inclusion of Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito alongside established honours signals a structural shift in how Aotearoa values its indigenous composition, ensuring that kapa haka creators receive institutional acknowledgment alongside mainstream songwriters.
