Invercargill singer and songwriter Jacinta Kerepeti claimed the songwriter of the year award at the New Zealand Country Music Association (NZCMA) 2025 Entertainer of the Year Awards held in Tauranga this month.
Her song, God Knows, would not have been entered in the contest had it not been for the "encouragement from whānau and friends".
The difficulty in writing about the grief associated with her mother’s memory loss and feeling disconnected from her made the artist question whether she should enter the competition.
Ms Kerepeti said the song was sentimental and it was a tough decision to put it out into the world to be judged.
"When you put songs into competition, it could change the intention of the song and the feeling, and I didn’t want that to happen," Ms Kerepeti said.
The song’s lyrics resonated with those in her inner circle who had experienced "disconnection from their family members with dementia".
Winning the award confirmed that her song was not written for her own personal satisfaction or to entertain, but that it was "created as a gift to help others".
The 55-year-old mum said she felt joy and a sense of relief when she heard the news.
Receiving feedback from an American-based judge that her song was "Nashville worthy" helped validate her decision that songwriting was the "right path to take in life".
NZCMA president Lesley Niania said the standard of performances this year was incredibly high and the judges were very impressed with the calibre of songwriting and singing.
South Island participants made their mark in both divisions of the competition.
Molly Harrison, of Ashburton, was runner-up for her songwriting effort.
Georgia Martin, of Riversdale, won the junior country music entertainer of the year.
Keily Smith, of Lawrence, was the runner-up in the senior group and Maddison Connor, of Nelson, got the runner-up title in the intermediate division.
The New Zealand Country Music Association 2025 Entertainer of the Year Awards were held at Baycourt Theatre in Tauranga on October 4.
