Aotearoa Music Award for Album of the Year
# Aotearoa Music Award for Album of the Year

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.

## Recipients

| Year | Winner | Album | Other finalists | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1973 | John Donoghue | Spirit of Pelorus Jack | — | |
| 1974 | No Album of the Year awarded | No Album of the Year awarded | No Album of the Year awarded | |
| 1975 | John Hanlon | Higher Trails | — | |
| 1976 | New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | Symphony #2 | — | |
| 1977 | No awards held | No awards held | No awards held | No awards held |
| 1978 | Hello Sailor | Hello Sailor | — | |
| 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 | No awards held | No awards held | No awards held | No awards held |
| 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 Love | Alien Weaponry – Tū Julia Deans – We Light Fire Six60 – Six60 EP Tami Neilson – Sassafrass! Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food | |
| 2019 | Avantdale Bowling Club | Avantdale Bowling Club | Aldous 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 Hall | |
| 2020 | The Beths | Jump Rope Gazers | L.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 | |
