Teremoana Rapley MNZM has been named the recipient of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples Lifetime Achievement Award at this years’ Pacific Music Awards.
Her dynamic career has included significant contributions to iconic groups like Upper Hutt Posse and Moana and the Moahunters during the 1990s whose music fuses reggae and rap.
Of Kiribati, Aitutaki, Rarotonga, Mangaia and Jamaican heritage, Teremoana has been a powerful force on the New Zealand music scene for over three decades.
Pacific Music Awards Trust spokesperson Rev Mua Strickson-Pua says, “Teremoana Rapley is a true pioneer in Pacific music and culture. A Taonga, a treasure, who humbly challenges, inspires and nurtures the spiritual, cultural, and political development of Pasifika people, hence all people.
“Her unwavering commitment to her art and community has made a profound impact, and we are honoured to recognise her contributions with this Lifetime Achievement Award.”
The 2024 Pacific Music Awards will be live streamed on TP+ next week, Thursday 29 August.
