Parliamentary Under Secretary for Radio and Regions, Jenny Marcroft, yesterday spoke in parliament of the important role radio plays in emergencies and acknowledged the mighty contribution of stations in the recent emergency weather events affecting New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty region.

Listen below:

Marcroft made particular mention of John Grant and the CFM team in Coramandel who were on air for 49 continuous hours and Andy Galbraith and 1XX in Whakatane, a region that received the most rain in a day since records began. She said the community station that “runs on the smell of an oily rag” provided a lifeline and was inundated with requests for road and rescue information.

Both stations are 100% locally and independently owned and operated. Marcroft said 3.7 million New Zealanders listen to the radio every week with local community-based radio stations of critical importance getting accurate messages out to their local communities in a timely manner.