Radio Hauraki - History (7)

The Tiri II was taken back to Whangaparapara Wharf on 9th April 1968 and secured firmly to the wooden jetty  after weather reports had forecast a severe tropical storm and 80mph winds heading towards the Hauraki Gulf area. When the storm  eventually arrived it was even more severe than had been forecast and the Tiri II was wrenched from the wooden jetty, taking some bollards with her. Captain Lloyd Griffiths briefly managed to turn the ship, but she was driven helplessly onto rocks, where she was pounded continuously throughout the night. The aerial mast was destroyed during the storm and when the tide receded the stranded radio ship was left high and dry, cradled between two rocks.

On the next high tide the tug Otapiri managed to pull Tiri II off the rocks and she was moored at Whangaparapara Wharf while repairs were carried out. Meanwhile Radio Hauraki returned to the air on reduced power  by running an aerial wire from the ship, along the wharf  and securing it to a tree at the top of a nearby cliff about 100' above sea level. This gave the station some sort of signal while the mast from the original Tiri, which had been kept on board the new ship for just such an emergency, was erected. Tiri II was able to return to her moorings on 15th April 1968, with Radio Hauraki transmissions resuming at 6.00pm.

An indication of just how important the ability to earn advertising revenue was to the station at that time came a few days later. On 21st April 1968, after being forced yet again to seek shelter in port during the night, Captain Lloyd Griffiths authorised Radio Hauraki's transmissions to start again at noon, with the vessel still in port. Every available hour the station was on the air meant there was an opportunity for income to be earned from the transmission of commercials and the risk of being caught broadcasting inside territorial limits seemed, financially at least, to be worthwhile.

Unfortunately for Radio Hauraki Post Office radio inspectors were monitoring the Tiri II's transmissions that day and, with the help of radio direction finding equipment and aerial photographs taken of the radio ship in port at the time, they managed to obtain conclusive evidence of illegal broadcasting taking place from inside New Zealand's territorial waters. Similar evidence was obtained by the Post Office on a further two occasions when the Tiri II was caught broadcasting inside territorial limits, having sought shelter from some of the worst storms in living memory.

On 13th June 1968 Captain Lloyd Griffiths decided to leave the Tiri II’s mooring position in the knowledge of a weather forecast promising Force 9 gales and  rough seas with waves of over 20'. However, the storm arrived much sooner than expected and turned out to be even more severe than forecast. At about 9.30pm transmissions were stopped and throughout the night Tiri II continued to be battered by the storm. Finally, at about 6.30am on 14th June 1968 she ran aground on Uretiti Beach, having been driven some 50 miles from her anchorage. Once again the vessel had to be rescued and towed back to Auckland for repairs, including the installation of another new 130' aerial mast. Two weeks later Tiri II sailed back to her mooring and Radio Hauraki began broadcasting again on 1st July 1968.

In September 1968 two Bills - the Broadcasting Authority Bill (designed to establish private land-based commercial radio stations) and the Post Office Amendment Bill (No 2) (designed to outlaw offshore radio stations) - came before the New Zealand House of Representatives for their second and third readings. After ten days debate the Bills were eventually passed, but it was to be another eight months before the new Broadcasting Authority established under the legislation  started to accept applications for licences from would-be private broadcasters.

Now that the legislation authorising privately owned land-based radio stations had been enacted Radio Hauraki also established a separate public company, Radio Hauraki (NZ) Ltd. With the assistance of an Australian broadcasting consultancy Radio Hauraki (NZ) Ltd. prepared and submitted a licence application to the Broadcasting Authority before the advertised deadline at the end of July 1969. The company also took an option on a plot of land in Auckland to build its transmitter should the application be successful as well as placing provisional orders for a variety of technical equipment.

However, in August 1969 the NZBC challenged the procedures which had been followed by the Broadcasting Authority in inviting applications  and obtained a  Supreme Court order preventing the allocation of licences in the Auckland area. After much legal discussion had taken place about procedural technicalities it was decided that applications for the Auckland area would have to be re-advertised in November 1969.

Click on picture to enlarge

Tiri II aground at Great Barrier Island

Tiri II shortly after being refloated by the tug Otapiri

Tiri II aground at Uretiti Beach

New aerial mast installed on Tiri II

History

Key Dates

Ships and Location

Technical

Staff

Programmes

Treasure Chest

          Back                                      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8                                 Next

Sydney Morning Herald

11th May 1969

Rock the Boat - The Story of Radio Hauraki 1965-1970

A  documentary by Sally Aitken, which reunited the people originally involved with Radio Hauraki for the first time in 30 years to recall their battle to bring pop music programmes  to the youth of New Zealand.

 Featuring rare archive footage, the documentary was originally made as a student film. It was later purchased by TVNZ and screened nationally in a prime time slot.