After all the international accolades, teen music sensation Lorde says coming home to the New Zealand Music Awards is special.

She nailed six Tuis last night, including album of the year.

She says the Vector Arena event in Auckland was awesome with everyone cheering for each other, compared to the intense and scary atmosphere overseas where a lot of egos are at play.

Lorde says collecting the International Achievement Award was her highlight.

"And everyone stood up, that was amazing. Super unexpected and I felt really warm and humbled by it. It was amazing to me."

Lorde says she was on the verge of tears, and it was a really special moment.

The 18-year-old also won for best female solo artist, highest selling single for 'Royals' and the International Achievement Award.

Lorde says she far prefers the more relaxed Kiwi vibe after a year in which she collected two Grammys, a Brit Award and an MTV Video Music Award.

"The environment of somewhere like the Grammys or the Billboard Awards is very intense and you can feel a whole lot of egos and it's kind of scary.

She says in New Zealand everyone's just having a good time and they all cheer for each other.

While Lorde may have cleaned up at last night's awards, a Nelson band which has had an exceptional rise in the last year also managed to tick off a lifelong dream.

Broods won the breakthrough artist of the year title for their debut Evergreen, which was just released in August.

For Georgia Nott, one half of the sister-brother duo, giving the acceptance speech was the realisation of a life-long dream.

"I've kind of been pretending in my head sometimes when I was a kid that I was up there doing there."

Full winners:

Mentos Album of the Year
Winner: Lorde - Pure Heroine

Vodafone Single of the Year
Winner: Lorde - Team

Steinlager Pure Best Group
Winner: The Naked And Famous

Best Male Solo Artist
Winner: David Dallas

Best Female Solo Artist 
Winner: Lorde

Breakthrough Artist of the Year 
Winner: Broods

Best Rock Album
Winner: Blacklistt - Blacklistt

The Edge Best Pop Album
Winner: Lorde - Pure Heroine

Best Alternative Album
Winner: Tiny Ruins - Brightly Painted One

Best Urban/Hip Hop Album
Winner: David Dallas - Falling Into Place

Best Roots Album
Winner: Tama Waipara - Fill Up The Silence

Best Electronica Album
Winner: Opiuo - Meraki

NZ On Air Best Music Video
Winner: Campbell Hooper - Hearts Like Ours (The Naked And Famous)

Best Maori Album
Winner: Rob Ruha - Tiki Tapu

Best Gospel Christian Album
Winner: Mosaic Music - You Surround

Best Classical Album
Winner: Jack Body - Poems of Love and War

Vodafone People's Choice Award
Winner: Stan Walker

NZ On Air Radio Airplay Award
Winner: Stan Walker - Bulletproof

Vodafone Highest Selling Single
Winner: Lorde - Royals

FOUR Highest Selling Album
Winner: Sol3 Mio - Sol3 Mio

NZ Herald Legacy Award
Supergroove

Other Tuis presented in 2014:
Best Album Cover
Winner: Anna Taylor & Ken Clark - The Nihilist (Liam Finn)

Best Producer
Winner: Joel Little - Pure Heroine (Lorde)

Best Engineer
Winner: Joel Little - Pure Heroine (Lorde)

NZ On Air Critics' Choice Prize 
Winner: Randa

Best Pacific Music Album:
Winner: Sol3 Mio - Sol3 Mio

Best Country Album
Winner: Kaylee Bell - Heart First

Best Folk Album
Winner: Tattletale Saints - How Red is the Blood

Best Jazz Album
Winner: Nathan Haines - Vermillion Skies