Levin school principal top of her musical class

Levin North principal Moira Campbell, with husband Ian, peforming as Legal Tender, winning four categories at Gore's Golden Guitar Awards.

Levin North School has an award-winning musician for a principal.

Moira Campbell, along with husband Ian, scooped a host of accolades at the Golden Guitar awards in Gore recently, where there were more than 700 entries.

The couple, who perform as a duo called Legal Tender, won four Gold Guitars in the 40-plus section of the awards, taking out honours under the categories Duet, Traditional, New Zealand Song with an Original Composition and Overall Winner.

Judges based their decision completely on a live performance on the night, which Ian said could be nerve-wracking.

"Moira's more used to it," he said.

"As a principal, she has 40 staff and chairs meetings, talking in front of people all the time. She doesn't have that nervous thing."

Moira said Legal Tender, based on the Kapiti Coast, has been performing an "an eclectic mix of rural and folk originals and covers around New Zealand for more years than they care to remember".

They have been frequent collaborators with various members of the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band along with other well known Kiwi musicians, and have featured at numerous country and folk festivals and concerts.

The duo, who previously won two awards at the 2015 Golden Guitars, were impressed with the quality of the entries at this year's event, Ian said.

"The standard was incredibly high and the talent of the more youthful entries was amazing.

"It was also really encouraging to see that new younger crowd ... getting away from the more mainstream country and getting more into alt/country - almost folk, with a lot more acoustic focus and not so much of what I call Nashville Pop."

A press release described their style as "sensitive guitar and bass arrangements of songs by various Americana artists and their own originals ... rendered with earthy integrity and powerful vocal harmonies".