0:00

And yes, you are tuned to RTFM broadcasting to

0:02

you from Station Rock on 94.6 FM. Kia

0:11

ora, I'm Sharon Brekkele, today on

0:13

The Detail, the island where the

0:16

media is bucking the trend and

0:18

flourishing. Aotear Great Barrier Island

0:20

sits off the tip of the

0:22

Coromandel Peninsula. 30 minutes

0:24

by air from Auckland or four hours

0:27

on the slowboat. It's

0:29

900 permanent residents embrace the

0:31

isolation of this off-grid island.

0:33

But that doesn't mean they're

0:35

out of touch. They

0:38

have not one but two

0:40

fortnightly community newspapers, at

0:43

least two online news outlets

0:46

Welcome to the news, Ken and a

0:49

radio station. For those that don't know,

0:51

Ken our

0:54

Aotearians. How many times

0:56

we've said bloody hell? I wish we had another.

0:58

No mai hai de mai kite ne ho taka

1:00

pito pito kore do. Welcome to the news. Welcome

1:02

to the news. It's been a while hasn't it

1:04

Tony Kendall? It's been quite some time. We're

1:08

working our way through the settlers from

1:11

the Paul Kelly concert. I've been teasing

1:13

my next guest a bit. Promised

1:15

a geographic theme.

1:18

Okay, my guest has arrived.

1:20

Nikki Kay. Welcome Nikki. Lovely to

1:22

see you. Lovely to see you

1:24

too, Tim. We'll hear why author

1:27

Tim Hayam has had to turn

1:29

from writing to broadcasting and

1:31

what's behind the media boom on the

1:33

island. Island that attracts characters.

1:36

We want to express ourselves. We don't

1:38

want to be over regulators. We love

1:41

the wild and the free and

1:43

it inspires us. It's a beautiful

1:46

place, but we have to get on

1:48

as well. So there's this tension between

1:50

all being rugged off-grid individualists and having

1:53

to rely on each other and community.

1:55

So it brings out the best in

1:57

self-expression and we're just going

1:59

through this little wonderful patch of

2:02

having great media looking after us

2:04

in different ways. Also

2:07

the former radio station owner

2:09

who hit national headlines after

2:11

a run-in with the police

2:13

but first from health parties

2:15

and DJing on the party

2:17

island of Ibiza to our

2:19

peer, the new owners of

2:21

the Barrier Bulletin, Simone Fujia

2:23

and Giulio Cavallo. The

2:25

opportunity arose kind of out of the

2:27

blue and we actually felt

2:30

ready to take on a project at

2:32

that point so the flow was

2:34

right for us. And we

2:36

just felt, you know, we have a pleasure

2:38

in writing. We've just developed writing in the

2:40

last, I don't know, sort of eight

2:43

or ten years. We have our own website

2:46

and then we just also found it would be

2:48

a perfect way for us to get to know

2:50

the community more and for

2:52

the community to get to know themselves

2:54

more. And how would you describe the

2:57

Barrier Bulletin? Because it's more than a

2:59

newsletter but it's not a

3:01

broad sheet, is it? Now

3:04

we've got people calling it a magazine now which

3:06

is quite funny. We're like, oh I guess maybe because we've

3:08

got all these sections that we kind of introduced.

3:13

When we met the original owner,

3:15

Kevin, and he was turned 82

3:18

years old I think and when

3:21

we met him we just felt we

3:23

were on the same wavelength. He was just

3:25

bringing the community

3:28

together, telling local stories,

3:30

sharing things that people wanted

3:32

to share and it was

3:34

just a local thing. When we

3:36

took it we said, well we can do the

3:38

same thing but since we are new to the

3:40

island it's perfect so that we

3:42

can go and interview people so they can tell

3:44

a story so we get to know them and

3:46

at the same time they get to know us.

3:49

As you know there's a high percentage

3:52

of mature residents on the island and

3:54

we wanted to also go and find

3:56

out their stories, the inventor and the

3:58

owner. the shed and

4:01

all the gardening expertise,

4:03

you know, people have been doing it 40, 50 years.

4:06

So we thought it was a

4:08

fun project to do that really. And do

4:10

you print it on the island? How does

4:13

all that work? For the first one,

4:15

we did it ourselves. And it was a mission.

4:17

So eventually we decided

4:19

that we are going to print it on

4:22

the mainland, that was printed there, so that

4:24

we can concentrate on doing what's important to

4:26

us, which is the interviews and the articles.

4:28

Yeah, but not only that, it's just that, you

4:31

know, there was a lot of toners that we'd

4:33

have to bring to the island. And

4:35

then actually the refilling of the

4:37

toners wasn't a really nice process.

4:39

We did that for the first

4:42

one. And it's very, very fine

4:44

sort of substance and it can just easily

4:46

get out into the air and we don't want

4:48

to be breathing that for a start or putting it

4:50

anywhere in the environment. It

4:52

was fun using the collate machine, it's

4:55

probably about 50 years old, it looks

4:57

like from the 70s. And

4:59

it all works fine. And it's a backup for

5:01

us if we need to. But

5:04

I mean, it's unfortunate because printing

5:06

it off islands, we can't just sort of print it

5:09

the day before and then distribute it now or just

5:11

have last minutes

5:13

news come in. We

5:15

have to have it ready sort of by the Tuesday

5:17

for this Thursday now. It gets

5:20

printed in Auckland and then the post bring

5:22

it over. Can you make money from something

5:24

like this? As Kevin said, you're

5:26

definitely not going to become a millionaire.

5:29

But let's just

5:32

say that, yeah, he brings

5:34

an income and you

5:36

know, it covers our expense. Yeah, let's

5:38

say that. We did a survey at

5:41

the beginning just to see what everyone wanted

5:43

and what price people prepared to pay just

5:45

to supplement the advertising but to help pay

5:47

for the printing. So everyone said, Oh gosh,

5:49

no, no, we're happy to pay up to

5:52

$3 or something with them more. You've

5:55

stamped your own mark on it, haven't you?

5:57

The one that I picked up while I

5:59

was there. I think there was an

6:01

article about dance music. Oh,

6:04

yes. Yeah,

6:06

that's my passion. When I

6:09

was talking about this music is because not

6:11

only I wanted people to understand

6:13

what kind of music, how music

6:15

is, but also to feel that

6:17

from my own personal experience as

6:19

our motto is connecting people of

6:21

our out here, just

6:24

to let people know us, getting

6:26

to know other people and getting people to

6:28

know each other. Yeah. And then we

6:30

have Tony who he writes first

6:32

regularly. He's sort of out on

6:35

the prowl looking for new articles. Tony's

6:39

story, a.k.a. Tony Veritas,

6:41

which means truth, started

6:43

the first radio station, the beach, and

6:46

he's not afraid of controversy. For

6:49

a long time, there's only been limited

6:51

stories from the island. The previous owner

6:53

of the Barroway Bulletin, he did a

6:55

great job, given. But

6:57

I guess it was getting more and more difficult for

7:00

him to go out and get stories. So we've got

7:02

all these characters on

7:04

the island, all these stories that need

7:06

to be told. And all of a sudden,

7:08

as you say, there was a mushrooming of

7:11

media on the island. And I

7:13

don't know why, because it's very difficult to make

7:15

any money from it. And

7:17

really, most of us are just doing it for

7:20

a hobby. Really. You're kind

7:22

of a character on the island, aren't you, Tony?

7:24

I mean, and you

7:26

might say that this gives

7:29

you a lot of platforms

7:31

to rally against things

7:34

that you believe in,

7:36

like the poison

7:38

drops and weed

7:41

control, that kind of thing. Oh,

7:44

you have done your homework. Yeah,

7:48

I guess it didn't really start out

7:50

me having any sort of flags that

7:52

I needed to wave. But yeah, things

7:54

that I guess get an emotional response

7:56

from me. I've had

7:58

the ability to. to share these

8:00

stories with other people that may resonate with them.

8:03

And I guess because it's

8:05

not monetised, I can be quite

8:07

creative in the language that I use and

8:09

the way that I use

8:12

the media. I mean the other thing

8:14

is I believe you were against

8:17

COVID vaccinations. That's

8:23

a can of worms there Sharon. Just

8:26

prior to COVID, the news and Alta

8:28

TV, we were doing quite a lot

8:30

of stories and we felt that COVID

8:33

was very contentious. We

8:36

had our own views on it which

8:38

went against the mainstream narrative. So

8:41

we just felt that for us to go

8:43

on our platform and say what we

8:46

wanted to say, you could

8:48

say in effect we self-muzzled ourselves because

8:50

we didn't really want to create more

8:53

division in the community than there already

8:55

was. And there was a lot of

8:57

division on the island during that time.

9:00

But you could also say that

9:02

these other issues that you've

9:04

protested against or you

9:06

speak out about like the poison drops, like

9:10

the weed control, they're all

9:12

polarising issues and I just wonder

9:14

what kind of reaction

9:16

you get. I've pissed a lot of

9:18

people off, there's no doubt about that. But I

9:21

think it's just my soul journey that I'm

9:24

here to express what is

9:26

in me, how I express

9:28

that sometimes is open

9:30

to debate and I'm still learning. But

9:33

yeah, I'm not really scared to

9:35

say how I feel about issues

9:37

and in a small community sometimes

9:40

you can

9:42

create enemies and that's just the way it

9:44

is. I just think that freedom

9:48

of speech is very valuable and I

9:50

think during COVID our

9:52

freedom of speech was eroded

9:55

very quickly. So

9:57

what do you think, I mean will you continue

9:59

doing what you do? Do what you? what?

10:01

Plans do you have and tins

10:03

of the Rising that you do

10:05

and the broadcasting that you don't.

10:09

Well. I'm not. so because all my

10:11

daughter has to go to high school next

10:13

year, so I'm or possibly might have to

10:15

move off the autumn moon. Because I'm

10:18

just wondering you Nice all

10:20

sea islands Would you have

10:22

the same variety of platforms?

10:24

Tone in I have your

10:26

say on things. Law.

10:29

Think the all and itself is quite. You

10:31

need a handoff into of our way to

10:33

be rather in other parts of New Zealand.

10:36

Them. Are probably have to tie

10:38

the party lines are just being on the

10:40

all and we're able to express ourselves which

10:42

has gotten a to this community room or

10:44

have words and right yes I have had

10:46

to. Be. Mindful

10:48

about badass I and our side

10:51

because you are you down by

10:53

the. Broadcasting. Card for stop

10:55

well and I just reading. A story

10:58

here that I picked up

11:00

from this year old as

11:02

as a while ago that

11:04

Broadcasting Centers Authority upheld complaints

11:06

that debates breached to principles

11:08

of third kind of broadcasting

11:10

practice and it was related

11:12

to or near abuse of

11:14

police officers after they sprayed

11:17

some the islands. Coyness cross

11:19

be no sign. Or

11:21

yeah I was. I'm already pissed off

11:23

about the was three two bedrooms and

11:25

unfortunately I had a mark phone and

11:27

I was angry and. The. Two

11:29

things don't necessarily. Know

11:32

to give a very nicely riot and from

11:34

they have you do you see a lot

11:36

you've tone seems to hell did that with

11:38

you Mister Jalopy. Are

11:40

absolutely yup. And

11:42

yeah I'll I'll watch I'm I'm

11:44

as a personal of offering of

11:46

prison gone from from all of

11:48

us on everybody talking about a

11:50

different reason I'm here. Billions of

11:52

meditation and yoga these days. And.

11:55

embrace with sars yeah i'm on

11:58

my far from there head

12:00

of of 10-15 years

12:02

ago. Let's get to

12:04

the writer and journalist Tim Hayam

12:06

who calls himself the Kim Hill

12:09

of Altair is the host of

12:11

the radio show and podcast local

12:13

stories. Now I've always been

12:15

a wordsmith you know

12:18

I used to sweat over every

12:20

word. Took me

12:22

two and a half years to write my

12:24

book Island Notes and unfortunately I've lost the

12:26

use of my arm so I've got motor

12:28

neuron disease so I was diagnosed a

12:31

year ago with a thumb that wouldn't work and

12:33

now I can't move my arms. So

12:36

radio is really perfect I

12:38

just use my voice and I

12:41

call it Monday morning after Saturday

12:43

morning. I actually passed 1,000 listens

12:46

last week. We need to point

12:48

out that the population of the island is

12:50

what? Around about a thousand. Yeah so that's

12:52

pretty good penetration isn't it? A thousand

12:55

listens on an island of a thousand people.

12:58

They are island stories, they're heartfelt

13:01

stories mainly

13:03

of the people of the place or

13:06

people that are connected to the

13:08

place or advocates for islands or

13:10

care of islands and

13:12

I have the luxury of interviewing

13:14

them for three quarters of an hour. I'm

13:17

loving it. And do you think

13:19

that because Altair Great Barrier is

13:22

way up there at Offgrid you

13:24

can kind of do

13:26

what you want? Well

13:30

I can do what I want in the sense

13:32

that Altair FM is

13:34

a community radio station.

13:36

It gets some lotteries grant funding

13:40

and it relies on volunteer

13:42

DJs like me. You

13:44

know if there's a slot you do whatever

13:46

you like. I was listening to punk music

13:48

on Adam's show the other night and then

13:51

someone else that loves the 80s so it's

13:53

quite wacky but no

13:55

one was doing interview based

13:57

current affairs journalism. It's

14:00

given it a rev up and we're podcasting off

14:02

the back of them and that's the big thing

14:04

because people don't listen to radio like they used

14:06

to. They might catch half the interview or someone

14:08

tells them about it. Now they can go and find

14:10

it. That's quite exciting I

14:13

think for the station and for the island to

14:15

hear themselves in this way. Yeah.

14:18

Why do you think there is

14:20

such a proliferation of different media

14:22

there at the moment? Well

14:25

perhaps it is a post-COVID thing.

14:27

There were new people that came

14:30

during COVID like Simone and Julio.

14:32

There was an injection of new

14:35

blood and new vision and

14:38

as we know the world has sort of

14:40

changed since then and I think there is

14:42

still that worry voice,

14:44

that protest voice about where

14:47

we were heading with COVID so there's a

14:49

bit of conspiracy there. But it's an island

14:52

that attracts characters.

14:54

We want to express ourselves. We don't want

14:56

to be over regulators and we love the

14:59

wild and the free and it

15:01

inspires us. It's a

15:03

beautiful place but we have to get

15:05

on as well. So there's this

15:08

tension between all being rugged off-grid individualists

15:10

and having to rely on each other

15:12

and community. So it brings out the

15:14

best in self-expression and

15:17

we're just going through this little patch, wonderful patch

15:19

of having great media looking

15:21

after us in different ways. And

15:24

are people tolerant of

15:26

these different voices

15:29

in the media because some of them are

15:31

pretty extreme aren't they? We

15:35

can laugh with each other. Everyone's

15:37

a character and I don't think we take

15:39

it all too seriously. I mean it's a

15:41

wonderful place to develop ideas. Some

15:43

of them in my view get a little bit off track

15:45

or down the rabbit hole. I

15:48

think we embrace a real diversity.

15:51

I would be concerned if the narratives,

15:54

If the voices were taking away

15:56

from the richness of the place.

16:00

They will go to be careful in

16:02

this space I think the some real

16:04

subtleties that our at work and the

16:06

media landscape at the moment too much

16:08

he mean by that. So who gets

16:11

to say watch you know what those

16:13

voices are saying and with their actually

16:15

based on reality. I. Think you

16:17

know the principles of. Hi

16:20

I'm semi radio on Monday mornings.

16:22

It as a truce. no roof,

16:25

no conspiracy. Know heroes. With.

16:27

Of caught a guiding principles for

16:29

our show. We wanted to be

16:31

real. Within. Their at

16:34

everything's possible but is. There

16:37

are an athlete's.

16:39

Foot Lot site. That.

16:41

Conspiracy theories and such a

16:44

small place is that dangerous?

16:46

I think it could be

16:48

and I think that's why

16:50

this is a self correction.

16:53

Happened organically like the must

16:55

have been off people thinking

16:57

oh this doesn't feel right

17:00

for us we going to

17:02

provide alternatives such not like

17:04

we're attacking the others. But.

17:08

We want to make sure that

17:10

the place that we care about

17:12

the not needs to be supported

17:14

with. Now it's have a voice

17:16

and so I think that's why

17:18

perhaps you know These three new

17:20

entrant suddenly popped up. Because.

17:23

Table want to make sure that.

17:26

We. Will looked after for the long

17:28

term that our real stories could

17:30

be heard on the phone, diversity

17:32

of viewed as could be, you

17:34

know? Does it change

17:37

people's conversations? he does

17:39

it definitely does i'm getting feedback all the

17:41

time people are stimulated you know that and

17:43

and people are worried about the future the

17:45

upturn cause everyone wanted to come to the

17:48

island they can go anywhere else we were

17:50

the most exotic the since the two kids

17:52

did take so you know the problem was

17:55

coping with all the people and now everyone's

17:57

short of money and can go anywhere else

17:59

week people are struggling who

18:01

rely on that income. So we're

18:04

currently considering a destination

18:07

management plan. So I've done

18:09

a podcast about that with

18:12

the Tartaki Auckland

18:14

Unlimited who produced it and

18:17

the other media are responding

18:19

to it or responding to my podcast

18:21

about it. So there is an element

18:23

of us chasing each other around. Like

18:26

you say, there's some really interesting people on

18:28

the island. There's also some very high profile

18:31

famous people who live on the island. In

18:33

a place so small, do you

18:35

have to be really careful about

18:38

telling these people stories

18:42

and maybe even revealing

18:44

too much about them? I'm

18:46

thinking Nikki Kaye, former national

18:48

minister who lives there,

18:50

you interviewed her and it was

18:52

pretty revealing. It was pretty personal.

18:56

Yeah, I think it was a lovely

18:58

interview and if

19:01

people are interested, they'll learn more

19:03

about Nikki and what

19:05

she believes in, her values and how

19:08

hard it was for her to deal

19:10

with health issues and Todd's

19:14

mental health challenges. She's very revealing but

19:16

every one of my guests has been

19:19

open like that. Maybe it's

19:21

consistent with what the

19:23

island does to people. There's

19:25

an incredible loyalty to those famous

19:28

people who we find ourselves

19:30

on the same flight as

19:32

we respect that they've chosen

19:34

our place and we're happy

19:36

to share it with them.

19:39

So yeah, there's big responsibilities

19:41

for allowing that diversity. I

19:43

think that you get people who would

19:46

normally say no but you manage

19:48

to captivim Tim. Yeah, no one

19:50

said no. They've sort of, when

19:54

I've got something to say type answers, people are

19:56

saying it's great you're doing it because it's kind

19:58

of archival. We need to record. these

20:00

stories and I call podcasts enable you

20:02

to do that now. Yeah so

20:05

it's been a revelation for you hasn't

20:07

it? Yeah stories are so

20:09

important aren't they? And post COVID

20:11

you know there was a narrative

20:13

about personal

20:15

freedoms and anti-government and don't let

20:18

the bastards get us type of

20:20

feeling. I don't think that's where

20:22

we want to be. I think

20:24

we need to pull together and

20:26

there is a place for

20:29

government that we need to have a healthy

20:31

skepticism about it but you

20:33

know it has to be a joined-up

20:36

approach and yeah I think we do

20:38

need to remain very very open to

20:41

you know all points of view. We

20:43

need to be able to look critically

20:46

at data of information.

20:48

We have to check

20:51

you know facts and not

20:54

perpetuate false information.

20:57

We have responsibilities like

20:59

that as

21:01

journalists. But for an island of

21:03

just 900 aren't things

21:06

getting a bit crowded? I mean

21:08

why not? I mean the

21:10

more news, the more entertainment,

21:13

the more things there are around,

21:15

the more people can have the

21:17

chance to get informed you know.

21:19

So if there

21:21

is only one paper that will become

21:24

a bit difficult also to manage because

21:26

you really have to be neutral as

21:28

much as possible and of course propose

21:31

every single viewpoint. For us no

21:34

competition. We do a thing and

21:36

we you know we feel that

21:38

this is good for us and for the people.

21:40

We only have received basically positive

21:43

comments so far. I mean we

21:45

like to focus on all aspects

21:47

of community life and that's why you know

21:49

talk about the sections as well. And

21:52

important news relevant to residents

21:54

lives really at this

21:56

point in time on the planet. It's getting

21:58

crazier by the day. things. Yeah,

22:00

the more information there are the better

22:03

for everyone and then anybody can choose

22:05

what to see. And the

22:07

one very very important thing we like

22:09

to do it with serious lessness. This

22:11

is the word Mon and

22:14

I have invented created a few years ago

22:16

to remind us that after all let's you

22:18

know let's have a little bit of fun

22:20

doing this you know not make it too

22:22

serious you know just bring a little bit

22:24

of light and fun you know if it's

22:26

possible. And what ambitions

22:28

do you have for the barrier

22:31

bulletin or as you know as

22:33

media owners? I mean I think

22:35

we've accomplished. We learned and designed

22:37

we've never done anything like

22:41

InDesign before which was quite complex.

22:43

We've learned about you know all

22:45

the clients and the advertising and

22:47

how did to make photos look

22:49

good and make sure they print

22:52

quality all the facets of the

22:54

accounting the cutting up companies in

22:56

InDesign, delivery, communication, interviewing

22:58

styles, people I don't know

23:00

engaging the community. We both

23:02

directly ourselves to the schools for example

23:05

and talk to the people and ask

23:07

them to send us stuff and they

23:09

have already pictures

23:11

of poems and things like that

23:14

and of course the schedule for what they

23:16

do when there's going to be competition and

23:18

so on. But we really like to have

23:21

more even more so interaction like kids writing

23:23

an article. We just want to create something

23:25

new whatever it is we know we don't

23:27

have any expectations or you can

23:30

even imagine how it could be but

23:32

if we put our own input and with

23:34

the intention of you know really having a

23:36

nice community and doing

23:39

something fun together then yeah

23:41

then there's definitely going to be a kind of new

23:43

community in a different way. That's

23:49

it for today the detail is supported

23:51

by NZ On Air and RNZ. The

23:54

set-asode was engineered by Jeremy Veal

23:56

and produced by Divina Zimmer and

23:58

Alexia Russell. Thanks to

24:00

Tim Haim, Simone Fujier, Julio

24:02

Cavallo and Tony Story. I'm

24:04

Sharon Brett Kelly. Paki te

24:06

ano.