100 years of New Zealand radio broadcasting

On the 17th of November 1921, Robert Jack made the first radio broadcast in New Zealand from the University of Otago. Commercial radio broadcasting began in February 1922 from a Wellington station, with stations hot on their heels in Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson, Whanganui, Gisborne and Auckland. This highlight explores radios and radio paraphernalia from MOTAT’s collection; from 1920s crystal sets used to listen to those early broadcasts, to early valve radios powered by large batteries before the advent of electricity in homes, Bakelite mantle radios, portable radios following the invention of transistors, and car radios to bring the music to your road trip.