"It is a Lifeline Utility": The Role of Local Community Radio

During the severe weather event that took place in January, local community radio took on the responsibility of delivering timely, accurate information to their communities.

Parliamentary Under Secretary for Radio and Regions, Jenny Marcroft, spoke in parliament yesterday on the important role radio plays in emergencies, especially locally.

She said 3.7 million New Zealanders listen to the radio every week.

“Radio has an impact, and particularly in a crisis, radio can make a difference. It is a lifeline utility.”

Marcroft called special attention to the role community stations played during the events of January's weather, which caused record rainfall in several areas across Te Ika-a-Māui North Island, significant road closures, and life-threatening landslides.

“It connects people to the information they need when they need it in a really timely manner, and radio does that.”

She pointed out the work of Coromandel’s CFM, a local station that began its broadcast coverage “as soon as there were warnings up,”

"They delivered key content from officials about road closures, power outages, flooding reports, evacuations, what houses were stickered, sandbag advice, wastewater issues, safety messages," Marcroft explained.

She then shone a light on the Eastern Bay of Plenty community station, One Double X, who run “ on the smell of an oily rag.”

“They were providing lifeline also to those who were living further up the coast on State Highway 35,” she added.

“They had those road updates, which were critically important about closures, what areas to avoid. They were inundated with requests for information about roading, the closures, the travel, especially through to Tauranga from Ōpōtiki.”

Marcroft explains that local community-based radio stations “are really important in terms of localism and getting messages out,” when localised information is required.

One Double X is located in the heart of Whakatāne.