Six Kiwi radio stations are playing at least 20% local music

Six commercial radio stations have been recognised for exceeding the voluntary target of playing at least 20 percent New Zealand music during 2025, despite the commercial radio sector as a whole failing to reach the benchmark for a third consecutive year.

Leading the list was NiuFM, which recorded 54.13 percent New Zealand music airplay, up from 50.24 percent in 2024. The Pacific Media Network station was the highest-performing commercial broadcaster for local music support.

Whakatāne stations BayrockFM and 1XX also increased their local music quotas over the previous year. BayrockFM recorded 37.29 percent New Zealand music airplay, while 1XX rose significantly from 20.43 percent to 28.85 percent.

The full list of recognised stations was:

• NiuFM – 54.13%
• BayrockFM (Whakatāne) – 37.29%
• 1XX (Whakatāne) – 28.85%
• CFM (Coromandel) – 21.28%
• Q97 (Whakatāne) – 21.06%
• Radio Hauraki – 20.48%

While CFM, Q97 and Radio Hauraki remained above the 20 percent threshold, each recorded a lower share of New Zealand music airplay compared with 2024.

The results were compiled by Radioscope, Recorded Music NZ's monitoring and distribution service, which tracks commercial radio airplay across the country.

Despite the achievements of the six recognised stations, the wider commercial radio industry did not meet the voluntary 20 percent target in 2025.

New Zealand's Voluntary Music Code was introduced by the commercial radio industry in 2002 when local music accounted for less than 10 percent of commercial radio playlists. The code set a target of 20 percent New Zealand music airplay across the sector.

The airplay data used for the awards applies only to commercial radio stations and excludes public, student and iwi radio broadcasters, which are measured separately under different requirements.