Country Music Honours: Holly Arrowsmith wins, Tami Neilson surprised with special tribute

Congratulations are in order for 2025's APRA Best Country Music Song Award winner, Holly Arrowsmith for her song Blue Dreams.  

The award was presented Friday evening, at the Country Music Honours in Gore, with top country music artists from across Aotearoa gathering for the red-carpet event.

South Island songwriter Holly Arrowsmith’s winning song Blue Dreams comes from her 2024 critically acclaimed album of the same name. Having won first in 2019 with Slow Train Creek, and most recently in 2024 with Desert Dove, the Aotearoa Music Award finalist and Taite Music Prize nominee, won with the moving song.

Blue Dreams delves into life as a first-time parent, surviving those early days of chronic exhaustion while managing the huge burden of responsibility, bringing life into such a turbulent world.

In a special addition to this year’s awards, Tami Neilson was honoured with the debut Country Music Honour for Contribution to Country Music in Aotearoa. The acclaimed Tami Neilson was the inaugural recipient of this award, recognised for her outstanding impact and unwavering dedication to the country music scene in Aotearoa New Zealand - with particular focus on the opportunities Tami has selflessly created for the emerging artists around her.

As Tami stood on stage to receive the surprise Honour, a video celebrating her career moved many in the theatre to tears (and caused Tami to cry her lashes off).

The emotive video features tributes from Jesse Mulligan, fellow New Zealand country artists, her Canada-based brother Todd Neilson, Willie Nelson (who translated the whakatauki to english at the end of the tribute), and many many more.

You can watch the video tribute to Tami Neilson below.

Also presented on the evening was the prestigious Country Music Honour for the MLT Songwriting award, which celebrates unreleased original songs from Aotearoa. Nicola Mitchell, Byllie-Jean Zeta, and Em-Hayley Walker (Theia, Te Kaahu) were awarded this honour for their waiata Wā/Time performed by Nicola Mitchell. 

All three are wāhine Māori with distinctive musical styles. Their collaboration on Wā/Time reflects a powerful fusion of their unique voices and a shared cultural vision. Lachie Hayes was named runner-up for his heartfelt song A Short Time, earning recognition for his songwriting talent in a highly competitive field.

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