Maddison Connor was on the road again to the coveted New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards in the recent long weekend, and her musicianship didn’t go south.
Twanging for the 50th year in Gore, the 17-year-old Waimea College student has taken the 12-hour drive with her Richmond-based whānau to the prestigious Aotearoa country music event since she was six months old, getting her kicks from the genre at age two.
For her overall ballads as smooth as Tennessee whiskey and upbeat tunes, Maddison secured the intermediate crown on 31 May.
“It was pretty incredible, I was just in a lot of shock since it was something I’ve dreamed about for the longest time,” she says.
“I’ve loved [country music] since forever, and I think winning is just a plus, it’s more the enjoyment you get from doing it.
“Getting to sing [at the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards] with the same people that are all supporting each other, the night feels honestly, magic, like you’re in an entirely different universe.”
Maddison’s categories to claim the top spot included a duet with her 13-year-old brother Harvey and the pair also performed in the new country and group section with their 15-year-old brother William.
Her mother Paula also competed, and the four Connor whānau members banded together.
“We live and breathe music my family… and we go around each [country music] award circuit every year,” she says.
In addition to Maddison’s gong, Paula and a family friend from Christchurch won overall in the classics finals and the band made up of Maddison, William and Harvey came second overall in the intermediate finals.
Nelson Country Music Club president Paul Nees was the top vocalist in the ‘classic traditional’ category final.
Included in Maddison’s prize package was a gateway to a music video and single release which the components of are yet to be confirmed, and a performance at the Southern Hemisphere’s largest country music festival in Tamworth, Australia, in January 2026.
A fundraising concert at Club Waimea for Maddison to get to the festival is on 22 June, at 2.30pm, with an entry donation.
