# Aotearoa Music Award for Best Group

Best Group is an Aotearoa Music Award that honours New Zealand groups that have released an outstanding album in the previous year. For the purposes of the award, a group consists of two or more people. The award winner is determined by the Voting Academy, along with a 30% sales performance weighting.
The award was first presented annually since 1970 as the Group Award as part of the Loxene Golden Disc awards, then as Recording Artist/Group of the Year as part of the Recording Arts Talent Awards. From 1978, the award has been presented as part of the New Zealand Music Awards, first named Top Group, then Best Group. Shihad has won the award twice and been nominated eight other times, The Chills have also won twice and been nominated one other time, while DD Smash and The Naked and Famous have each won twice.

## Recipients
### Loxene Golden Disc: Group Award (1970 to 1972)

| Year | Winner | Album |
| 1970 | Hogsnort Rupert | "Pretty Girl" |
| 1971 | Chapta | "Say a Prayer" |
| 1972 | Creation | "Carolina" |

### Recording Arts Talent Awards: Recording Artist/Group of the Year (1973 to 1977)

| Year | Winner | Ref. |
| 1973 | Shona Laing | |
| 1974 | Bulldogs Allstar Goodtime Band | |
| 1975 | Mark Williams | |
| 1976 | Dr Tree | |
| 1977 | No awards held | No awards held |

### New Zealand Music Awards: Top Group (1978 to 1984)

| Year | Winner | Other finalists |
| 1978 | Hello Sailor | — |
| 1979 | Th' Dudes | — |
| 1980 | The Crocodiles | — |
| 1981 | Dave McArtney & The Pink Flamingos | Newmatics Coup D'État |
| 1982 | DD Smash | Herbs The Narcs |
| 1983 | DD Smash | Herbs The Narcs |
| 1984 | Dance Exponents | The Mockers Pātea Māori Club and Dalvanius Prime |

### New Zealand Music Awards: Best Group (1985 to 2016)

| Year | Winner | Album | Other finalists | Ref. |
| 1985 | Netherworld Dancing Toys | — | The Mockers Peking Man | |
| 1986 | Peking Man | — | Pātea Māori Club Satellite Spies | |
| 1987 | The Chills | — | Ardijah Herbs | |
| 1988 | Herbs | — | The Chills The Warratahs | |
| 1989 | When the Cat's Away | — | The Warratahs Fan Club | |
| 1990 | The Chills | — | Straitjacket Fits Fan Club | |
| 1991 | No awards held | No awards held | No awards held | No awards held |
| 1992 | Push Push | — | The Exponents Headless Chickens | |
| 1993 | The Mutton Birds | — | Greg Johnson Set The Exponents | |
| 1994 | Headless Chickens | — | Strawpeople Straitjacket Fits | |
| 1995 | Supergroove | — | The Mutton Birds Headless Chickens | |
| 1996 | Shihad | — | The Exponents The Mutton Birds Finn Brothers | |
| 1997 | Garageland | — | Shihad The Mutton Birds | |
| 1998 | Shihad | — | The Mutton Birds Dam Native | |
| 1999 | The Feelers | — | Ardijah Shihad | |
| 2000 | Stellar | Mix | Shihad – The General Electric Deep Obsession – Infinity | |
| 2001 | Zed | Silencer | Tadpole – The Buddhafinger Shihad – Pacifier | |
| 2002 | Salmonella Dub | Inside the Dub Plates | The Feelers – Communicate Zed – Silencer | |
| 2003 | The Datsuns | The Datsuns | Goodshirt – "Sophie" Nesian Mystik – Polysaturated | |
| 2004 | Dimmer | You've Got to Hear the Music | Elemeno P – Love & Disrespect Goodshirt – Fiji Baby | |
| 2005 | Fat Freddy's Drop | Based on a True Story | Goldenhorse – Out of the Moon Shihad – Love Is the New Hate | |
| 2006 | Elemeno P | Trouble In Paradise | Bleeders –As Sweet as Sin Fly My Pretties – The Return of... Fly My Pretties | |
| 2007 | The Mint Chicks | Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! | Evermore – Real Life Opshop – Second Hand Planet | |
| 2008 | Flight of the Conchords | Flight of the Conchords | Shihad – Beautiful Machine The Phoenix Foundation – Happy Ending | |
| 2009 | Midnight Youth | The Brave Don't Run | Fat Freddy's Drop – Dr Boondigga and the Big BW The Mint Chicks – Screens (Mint Chicks album) | |
| 2010 | The Phoenix Foundation | Buffalo | Shapeshifter – The System Is a Vampire The Checks – Alice by the Moon | |
| 2011 | The Naked and Famous | Passive Me, Aggressive You | Shihad – Ignite Kids of 88 – Sugarpills | |
| 2012 | Six60 | Six60 | Home Brew – Home Brew Opossum – Electric Hawaii | |
| 2013 | Shapeshifter | Delta | Fat Freddy's Drop – Blackbird The Phoenix Foundation – Fandango | |
| 2014 | The Naked and Famous | In Rolling Waves | Sol3 Mio – Sol3 Mio @Peace – @Peace and the Plutonian Noise Symphony | |
| 2015 | Broods | Evergreen | Shihad – FVEY Six60 – Six60 | |
| 2016 | Broods | Conscious | Fat Freddy's Drop – Bays Sole Mio – On Another Note The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams | |
| 2017 | SWIDT | Stoneyhunga | Devilskin – Be Like The River Leisure – Leisure Shapeshifter – Stars | |
| 2018 | Six60 | Six60 EP | Alien Weaponry - Tū Drax Project – Noon Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food | |
| 2019 | The Beths | Future Me Hates Me | Beatwars – IV Broods – Don't Feed the Pop Monster L.A.B. – L.A.B II | |
| 2020 | The Beths | Jump Rope Gazers | L.A.B. – L.A.B III Miss June – Bad Luck Party Six60 – Six60 | |
| 2021 | | | | |
| 2022 | | | | |
| 2023 | | | | |
| 2024 | The Beths | Expert in a Dying Field | Home Brew (band) Leisure (band) Mermaidens Tiny Ruins Unknown Mortal Orchestra | |