Appreciation – Bio

Paekakariki FM DJ Mark Amery connecting with the Wainui Stream

Appreciation DJ Mark Amery wasn’t quite born with a microphone in his hand but has loved and wanted to be part of radio since a teenager. He started producing and presenting radio shows aged 19 at 95bFM in Auckland for many years, with a focus on the arts and music, two of his passions. In the intervening years he has rarely he says not been on radio, doing work for RNZ National and running an arts show for Radio Active. In 2013 he was one of the founders of Paekakariki FM, the founding programme manager and co-producing and presenting Te Pae. These days he works with Paekakariki School students to produce their own radio shows and has his own monthly show Appreciation.

 Appreciation focusses on a different artist every month, Mark says, promising “no hits no misses. That is, if the artist is familiar to lots of listeners I enjoy creating an hour of their back catalogue that is less familiar – showing the depth of their music.” No musical genre is safe he says, and he enjoys both revisiting artists he loves and discovering new wonderful corners of the musical landscape. From Kate Bush to The Clean, Cocteau Twins to Nick Drake. “Quite  often I’ll have a friend along who is passionate about the artist too to help us create a really rich show.” The back catalogue of all these shows is available to hear anytime on the internet at www.paekakariki.org.nz/category/shows/appreciation/