The committee way back in 2014. LR Mark Coote, Shona Jaunas, Stefan Wolf, Mark Amery, Pete Handford, Don Polly, Sarah Te One, Kirsten Drysdale, Mike Gibson and Daniel Bar Evan (absent Graham Coe)

Being involved in any community endeavour allows you to appreciate the enormous love, talent and creative zeal the people around you have. And so it has been in the three years since the first plans were laid for Paekakariki 88.2FM to go to air.

Some of us are great chatterboxes on Facebook and on radiowaves – others just quietly get on with it. This month saw Kirsten Drysdale step down as secretary and Sarah Te One as chair of Paekakariki Informed Community Incorporated, the organisation that supports 88.2FM. Alongside treasurer Mark Coote they’ve been a backbone that have kept our transmitting body together. Real treasures. Barrister and radio enthusiast Paul Radich (whose show Radradio has recently started 2pm on Saturdays and Thursdays) has stepped up as chair, and Paekakariki we are still on the look out for a new secretary.

It’s a time of renewal. We’re in the process of moving studio, having enjoyed the hospitality of Joelle Mills for 18 months in Wellington Road we move up the hill shortly to what was the school’s dental clinic. A kind anonymous benefactor has assisted us with carpeting the place, and Francis Mills has been putting in the love and hours into turning this into what is starting to feel like a purpose-built radio station (more on this to come). Wait until you see his specially designed curvaceous studio desk. Meanwhile our tech guru Daniel Bar-Evan has been sorting out our wifi and computer connections to the world. Like studio engineer Mike Gibson, Dan has been there from the beginning quietly, constantly putting the world to rights when things go wrong – as with our intensity of activity (40 hours or so live radio a month, played 13 hours daily) they invariably do.

Renwick Wright meanwhile is taking over this month from me as programme manager and has come onto the committee. With our move up to the school we’re looking forward as a group to revisiting our programming schedule for the Spring ahead. We see many areas where we need to grow in reflecting the diversity of our community in our programming – please, please, please come to us with your programme ideas. You don’t need to have broadcasting experience – just a passion to share something.

I’m excited to be continuing to work across station activity with a particular interest in seeing our PR and communications team grow and developing our relationship with the teachers and students at school. Our Te Pae team also continues to evolve. Producer presenter Phoebe Taptikis is currently taking a break (we say this so she knows to come back one day!) and Shona Jaunas is taking a break back to Europe and we’re delighted to welcome Andy Irving, Russell Thomas and Himiona Grace to the production team. Be it a contribution big or small we welcome you joining us. Either way, open your ears to something new – keep listening.

Nga mihi,

Mark Amery