Album of the Year () is an Aotearoa Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for outstanding album. The award was first awarded in 1973 as part of the Recording Arts Talent Awards (RATA).

Singer-songwriter Bic Runga has won the award twice, in 1998 and 2006, while singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn has won once as a solo artist in 1998 and twice with his band DD Smash in 1982 and 1983.

The award is sponsored by NZ On Air.

Recipients

Year Winner Album Other finalists 1973 John Donoghue Spirit of Pelorus Jack 1974 colspan="3" 1975 John Hanlon Higher Trails rowspan="2" 1976 New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Symphony #2 1977 colspan="4" 1978 Hello Sailor Hello Sailor rowspan="3" 1979 Street Talk Street Talk 1980 Sharon O'Neill Sharon O'Neill 1981 Dave McArtney and the Pink Flamingos Dave McArtney and the Pink Flamingos Dennis O'Brien - Still in the Same Dream Hammond Gamble - Hammond Gamble Band 1982 DD Smash Cool Bananas 1983 DD Smash Live: Deep in the Heart of Taxes Herbs - Light of the Pacific Dance Exponents/The Legionnaires - Live at Mainstreet 1984 Dance Exponents Prayers Be Answered The Mockers - Swear It's True Patsy Riggir - You'll Never Take The Country Out Of Me 1985 Netherworld Dancing Toys Painted Years Shona Laing - Genre Herbs - Long Ago 1986 Peking Man Peking Man The Verlaines - Hallelujah All the Way Home Patsy Riggir - Patsy Riggir Country 1987 Herbs Sensitive to a Smile Dave Dobbyn - Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale Ardijah - Ardijah 1988 Dave Dobbyn Loyal Shona Laing - South The Warratahs - Only Game in Town 1989 Margaret Urlich Safety In Numbers Fan Club - Respect the Beat The Front Lawn - Songs from the Front Lawn 1990 The Chills Submarine Bells Brian Smith - Moonlight Sax Straitjacket Fits - Melt 1991 colspan="4" 1992 Headless Chickens Body Blow Midge Marsden - Burning Rain MC OJ & Rhythm Slave - What Can We Say? 1993 The Mutton Birds The Mutton Birds Jan Hellriegel - It's My Sin Shona Laing - New on Earth 1994 Straitjacket Fits Blow Strawpeople - World Service The 3Ds - The Venus Trail 1995 Supergroove Traction The Mutton Birds - Salty Dave Dobbyn - Twist Head Like A Hole - Flik Y'Self Off Y'Self Shona Laing - Shona 1996 Shihad Killjoy Finn Brothers - Finn Howard Morrison - Songs of New Zealand Max Lines - Beautiful Panflute I Starlight String Quartet - Romantic Strings Suzanne Prentice - 25th Anniversary Album 1997 Strawpeople Vicarious Emma Paki - Oxygen of Love Garageland - Last Exit to Garageland OMC - How Bizarre The Mutton Birds - Envy of Angels 1998 Bic Runga Drive Salmonella Dub - Calming of the Drunken Monkey Rob Guest - Standing Ovation The Stereo Bus - The Stereo Bus Greg Johnson - Chinese Whispers 1999 The Feelers Supersystem Che Fu - 2b S.Pacific Neil Finn - Try Whistling This 2000 Stellar Mix Shihad - The General Electric Ardijah - Time Salmonella Dub - Killervision The Mutton Birds - Rain, Steam and Speed 2001 Zed Silencer Dave Dobbyn - Hopetown Fur Patrol - Pet Tadpole - The Buddhafinger Tim Finn, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga - Together in Concert: Live 2002 Che Fu The Navigator Anika Moa - Thinking Room Neil Finn - One Nil Salmonella Dub - Inside the Dub Plates The Feelers - Communicate 2003 The Datsuns The Datsuns Pacifier - Pacifier Goldenhorse - Riverhead Bic Runga - Beautiful Collision Nesian Mystik - Polysaturated 2004 Scribe The Crusader Brooke Fraser - What to Do with Daylight Dimmer - You've Got to Hear the Music Goodshirt - Fiji Baby The Phoenix Foundation - Horsepower 2005 Fat Freddy's Drop Based on a True Story Breaks Co-Op - The Sound Inside Finn Brothers - Everyone Is Here Shihad - Love Is the New Hate The Phoenix Foundation - Pegasus 2006 Bic Runga Birds Don McGlashan - Warm Hand Dave Dobbyn - Available Light Concord Dawn - Chaos by Design Elemeno P - Trouble in Paradise 2007 The Mint Chicks Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Brooke Fraser - Albertine Evermore - Real Life Hollie Smith - Long Player Opshop - Second Hand Planet 2008 Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords Anika Moa - In Swings the Tide Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning Scribe - Rhyme Book Tiki Taane - Past, Present, Future 2009 Ladyhawke Ladyhawke The Mint Chicks - Screens Midnight Youth - The Brave Don't Run Cut Off Your Hands - You & I Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga and the Big BW 2010 Gin Wigmore Holy Smoke Anika Moa - Love in Motion Dane Rumble - The Experiment Shapeshifter - The System Is a Vampire The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo 2011 The Naked and Famous Passive Me, Aggressive You Ladi6 – The Liberation Of... Brooke Fraser – Flags Avalanche City – Our New Life Above The Ground David Dallas – The Rose Tint 2012 Kimbra Vows Home Brew – Home Brew Opossum – Electric Hawaii Six60 – Six60 The Adults – The Adults 2013 Aaradhna Treble & Reverb Fat Freddy's Drop – Blackbird Shapeshifter – Delta The Phoenix Foundation – Fandango Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II 2014 Lorde Pure Heroine Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One The Naked and Famous - In Rolling Waves Sol3 Mio - Sol3 Mio Ladi6 - Automatic 2015 Broods Evergreen Marlon Williams – Marlon Williams Shihad – FVEY Six60 – Six60 Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love 2016 Broods Conscious Aaradhna – Brown Girl Fat Freddy's Drop – Bays Hollie Smith – Water or Gold Tami Neilson – Don't Be Afraid The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams 2017 Lorde Melodrama Aldous Harding – Party David Dallas – Hood Country Club Fazerdaze – Morningside Leisure – Leisure SWIDT – Stoneyhunga 2018 Marlon Williams Make Way for LoveAlien Weaponry – Tū Julia Deans – We Light Fire Six60 – Six60 EP Tami Neilson – Sassafrass! Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food2019 Avantdale Bowling Club Avantdale Bowling ClubAldous Harding – Designer The Beths – Future Me Hates Me Broods – Don't Feed the Pop Monster Mitch James – Mitch James Marlon Williams – Live at Auckland Town Hall2020 The Beths Jump Rope GazersL.A.B. – L.A.B III Nadia Reid – Out of My Province Reb Fountain – Reb Fountain Six60 – Six60 Tami Neilson – Chickaboom! 2021 L.A.B. L.A.B. IV Benee – Hey U X Crowded House - Dreamers Are Waiting The Phoenix Foundation - Friend Ship Teeks - Something to Feel Troy Kingi - The Ghost of Freddie Cesar 2022 L.A.B. L.A.B. V Rob Ruha – Preservation of Scenery Tami Neilson – Kingmaker Lorde – Solar Power Reb Fountain – Iris Aldous Harding – Warm Chris 2023 colspan="4" 2024The BethsExpert In A Dying Field Avantdale Bowling Club – TREES COTERIE – COTERIE Erny Belle – Not Your Cupid Home Brew – Run It Back LEISURE – Leisurevision Marlon Williams – My Boy Paige – King Clown Princess Chelsea – Everything Is Going To Be Alright Stan Walker – All In The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field Tiny Ruins – Ceremony Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V2025FazerdazeSoft Power Aaradhna — Sweet Surrender Anna Coddington — Te Whakamiha CHAII — Safar Georgia Lines — The Rose Of Jericho Jordan Rakei — The Loop Kaylee Bell — Nights Like This L.A.B — L.A.B VI Mel Parsons — Sabotage MOKOTRON — WAEREA Tami Neilson — Neilson Sings Nelson Troy Kingi — Leatherman And The Mojave Green

References