Waiheke’s musical community unites though lockdown

Waiheke’s volunteer-run radio station enabled local musos to share 76 songs inspired by the rāhui during lockdown, as well as collaborating with a theatre group.

And one stranded international visitor got to run some shows at the station whose DJs produce their own shows despite many having no radio background.

London-based musician Patience Scarles was stranded on Waiheke while visiting her family but ended up running the station's Waiheke World Wide and Waiheke Project shows throughout lockdown.

“Both projects were fantastic. With the Waiheke Project, there was a lot of learning,” said Ms Scarles.

The interview show was born out of lockdown to showcase talented Waiheke locals.

The station also collaborated with the local theatre company to broadcast four radio plays.

Entering level 4 quickly meant many of the self-taught DJs had to create their own home studios.

Station trustee and host Chris Walker said it was "a bit of a mad scramble”, but he created a makeshift recording device – a phone and microphone held together with rubber bands – to record interviews for the Saturday morning Island Life show.

“It was important to get those interviews and get that perspective, but I think the music stuff was just as important because that’s the social reaction to what's going on,” said Mr Walker.

For some artists it was their first-time producing music from home but quality did not overly concern Mr Walker.

“If it’s local we’ll play it,” he said.

“There’s nowhere else you can hear those songs and we're very much from and about our community.”

Mr Walker said he knew the community expected Waiheke Radio to be there for them, especially in a time of crisis.

“‘It’s things like this that focus on being able to concentrate on what’s in our local community.”

Ms Scarles says she "thrived” off interviewing locals.

“Having those talks is quite inspiring and seeing what things unify the people of Waiheke, the link to nature [people have],” she said.

“I asked people what’s the song that gets you out of bed in the morning and I had two or three people say, the sound of tui outside my window, little things like that.”

Tai's interview.