New Zealand had no private radio stations in the early 1960s. The government monopoly on radio broadcasting was broken by a “pirate” (unlicenced) radio station, Radio Hauraki, which broadcast from an old boat anchored in international waters in the Hauraki Gulf.
Joe Haupt from USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
At one point their ship even sunk while they were broadcasting. Of course they treated it as news, ending with “Hauraki News: Hauraki crew is abandoning ship. This is Paul Lineham aboard the ‘Tiri’. Good night” plus a jingle.
The New Zealand government finally legalised commercial radio in 1970 and Radio Hauraki landed, 1,111 days after the first broadcast.
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The Generalist
I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and am curious about most things.
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