Pop-rock group Midnight Youth and electronica vocalist Ladyhawke earned six nominations for the Vodafone-sponsored awards, known as the Tuis, while hip hop trio Smashproof are next with five nominations.
The nominations for all three included ones for breakthrough artist of the year.
They also earned nominations for single of the year - Midnight Youth for their popular radio hit All On Our Own, Ladyhawke for her Australian top 10 song My Delirium, and Smashproof for Brother, which spent 10 weeks at number one.
Rounding off the single of the year nominations are P-Money for Everything and Kids of 88 for My House.
Midnight Youth and Ladyhawke also earned album of the year nominations, Midnight Youth for The Brave Don't Run and Ladyhawke for her self-titled album.
Also nominated were The Mint Chicks (Screens), Cut Off Your Hands (You And I), and Fat Freddy's Drop (Dr Boondigga and the Big BW).
The Mint Chicks and Fat Freddy's Drop were the best of the established artists in terms of Tui nominations, earning four each.
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) also announced that 1960s band Ray Columbus and the Invaders would receive the Legacy Award and be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
Ray Columbus and the Invaders were the first Australasian band to inspire Beatlemania-type scenes following their trans-Tasman hits She's A Mod and Till We Kissed.
Earlier recipients of the Legacy Award were 1950s rocker Johnny Devlin and 1980s-90s independent Dunedin band Straitjacket Fits.
Three other 2009 awards were announced. Best album cover goes to Mint Chicks member Ruban Neilson for the cover to their album Screens, Andrew Buckton won best engineer for Midnight Youth's album The Brave Don't Run, and Fat Freddy's Drop collectively won best producer for their album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW.
No finalists were announced for the highest selling NZ single, highest selling NZ album and the radio airplay record of the year awards.
These, along with the international achievement award - which is judged by the RIANZ Board and awarded at the board's discretion - will be announced at the main awards at Vector Arena in Auckland on October 8.
Finalists for the New Zealand Music Awards:
Album of the year: The Mint Chicks - Screens; Midnight Youth - The Brave Don't Run; Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke; Cut Off Your Hands - You And I; Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga and the Big BW.
Single of the year: Midnight Youth - All On Our Own; P-Money featuring Vince Harder - Everything; Ladyhawke - My Delerium; Smashproof - Brother; Kids of 88 - My House.
Best group: Fat Freddy's Drop; The Mint Chicks; Midnight Youth.
People's choice award: Fat Freddy's Drop; Ladyhawke; Midnight Youth; Smashproof; The Black Seeds.
Best male solo artist: Dave Dobbyn; Don McGlashan & The Seven Sisters; Savage.
Best female solo artist: Boh Runga; Ladyhawke; Ladi 6.
Breakthrough artist of the year: Midnight Youth; Ladyhawke; Smashproof.
Best music video: Sam Peacocke - I Can't Stop Being Foolish (The Mint Chicks); Chris Graham - Brother (Smashproof); Tim Van Dammen - Turn Around featuring Iva Lamkum (Sola Rosa)
Best rock album: Midnight Youth - The Brave Don't Run; The Mint Chicks - Screens; Cut Off Your Hands - You And I.
Best urban/hip hop album: Ladi 6 - Time Is Not Much; Smashproof - The Weekend; Savage - Savage Island.
Best Aotearoa roots album: The Black Seeds - Solid Ground; Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga and the Big BW; The Woolshed Sessions - The Woolshed Sessions.
Best dance/electronica album: Antiform - City In Exile; Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke; Sola Rosa - Get It Together.
Best gospel/Christian album: Parachute Band - Technicolour; Mumsdollar - Ruins; The Ember Days - EP; Primalband - Your Way.
Best classical album: Gareth Farr - Gareth Farr: Tangaroa; Ogen Trio and NZ Chamber Soloists - Ahi; David Bremner - Gung Ho.
Legacy award: Ray Columbus and the Invaders.
Winners of technical awards:
Best Album Cover: Ruban Nielson, Screens (The Mint Chicks).
Best Engineer: Andrew Buckton, The Brave Don't Run (Midnight Youth).
Best Producer: Fat Freddy's Drop, Dr Boondigga and the Big BW (Fat Freddy's Drop).
