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The NZ Music Awards are proudly brought to you by Tourism NZ. In the selecting the winners the judges listened to the CDs a couple of times. But we are a brand; we need brand champions and iconic easy-to-understand brand figureheads. In order to penetrate overseas markets a band needs a brand identity that reflects our country. For that reason all of the finalists are proven unit shifters with clear, recognisable local accents. The judges are delighted that all finalists reflect NZ's core brand values . We award artist excellence with an eye on the demographics. French, you say? Nelson? We can't even tell where they come from. It could be anywhere or nowhere and how can that be a good thing?