Renowned Māori songstress Maisey Rika has pulled herself out of this year's Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.
The multiple-award-winning artist was a finalist for the Māori Artist of the Year award, alongside TEEKS (Te Karehana Gardiner) and Māori rock band, Alien Weaponry.
The gesture was made in her great support of the upcoming talent of Māori artists in the industry.
Her manager Bossy Hill says Rika did not want to be in the category this year, she has also won the Best Māori Album of the Year award twice before at the VNZMAs.
The category Best Māori Album of the Year was changed to Best Māori Artist of the Year earlier this year in a reshuffle of categories.
In an effort to recognise the many ways artists are now recording and releasing their music, VNZMA renamed all genre album categories to Best Artist.
TEEKS is up for three awards, nominated in the Best Soul RnB Artist, Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist and the Breakthrough Artist of the Year categories.
Other Māori artists also up for awards tomorrow night are Sons of Zion (Best Roots Artist), Tomorrow People(Best Roots Artist), KINGS (Three Best Solo Artist, Best Hip Hop Artist, Vodafone People's Choice).
TEEKS will also be showcasing the fruits of his hard work throughout the last 12 months on stage as one of the performances of the night.
Guests will start arriving to Auckland's Spark Arena for the 2017 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards from 6pm tomorrow night.