It’s the last column of the year, so it must be time for awards: the Golden Turtles are back!

It has, from many perspectives, been a pretty rotten year. “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,” wrote WB Yeats 100 years ago. It feels alarmingly pertinent.

But in a darkness over which we have no control the light of music and creation still shines. Tauranga musicians and bands of every genre have continued unabated to create challenging, insightful, and often just plain enjoyable music. It’s been a busy recording year.

While new releases stretch from classic jazz to modern funk, from hardcore to hard rock, glam rock and blues, I’m going to leave them till the New Year. There are favourites on this week’s playlist. Instead, this week it’s MVPs. Most Valuable Players on the music scene.

So Golden Turtle Awards. Named for the concept that the world is sitting in space on a giant turtle. “But what’s that sitting on?” you may ask. Easy: it’s turtles all the way down.

Live music 

Also, 2025 was a year for live music of every possible sort. We give too little attention to the folk making it possible for all this music to be made. I’m talking specifically about organisers and promoters. Without their vital contributions the scene would be nothing. This year we have four Golden Turtles being awarded – let’s acknowledge them.

Two promoters particularly distinguished themselves and were responsible for much good music.

Austin Cunningham plays bass and sings with Threat.Meet.Protocol, which released an album this year, and 5G Meatsuit. He’s also a promoter, responsible for the annual Loserpalooza festival and frequent alternative gigs under the harbour bridge, featuring such remarkable overseas bands as Guitar Wolf, The Schizophonics, C.O.F.F.I.N., Japan’s King Brothers and a lot of locals.

Cunningham has really kept Tauranga’s hardcore and alternative scene cooking under his moniker ‘Your Enabler Presents’. And that album was damn good too. #1 Turtle!

Marc Anderson. Photo / Bruce Barnard

Then there’s Marc Anderson, director of the National Jazz Festival. This year he expanded the programme to take in the week before Easter, great exposure for local groups and a sure-fire way to get the festival vibe vibing earlier. And when Easter was hit by a cyclone, Anderson managed to seamlessly move a largely outdoor event to alternative venues, preserving the music and spirit of the festival seemingly without breaking a sweat. #2 Turtle!

Extraordinary volunteers

The next two Golden Turtles go to groups. The group that run the Katikati Folk Club and the extraordinary group of volunteers and helpers who make the Jam Factory such brilliant success.

The Folk Club host acts at Katikati’s Arts Junction, often twice a month, acts of real quality and variety. It’s so good that folk fans are probably eyeing a move to Katikati. The Jam Factory, meanwhile, is simply one of the best small venues in the country. Full stop. It wouldn’t be able to continue without the indefatigable team there. Golden Turtles all round!

Hear Winston’s latest Playlist: