Inside Wellington Access Radio: The Heart of the Capital

As part of CAMA’s ongoing station visits to strengthen sector collaboration and emergency communications planning, the National Representative, Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton, recently visited Wellington Access Radio.

The visit highlighted the station’s long-standing role as a trusted community service for diverse language and cultural communities in the capital. Broadcasting 97 programmes across 17 different languages, Wellington Access Radio provides an essential platform for Pacific and migrant communities, including Niuean and Tokelauan audiences who rely on access radio for connection, information, and cultural continuity.

“Community service is at the heart of who we are and what we do, and our programme makers feel that,” says Station Manager Tony Kemp.

Over decades, the station has built deep relationships with programme makers and community groups, many of whom have sustained their shows over long periods. This continuity creates something distinctive: not just access to airtime, but intergenerational storytelling, where knowledge, language, and identity are maintained and shared across communities.

In the capital city, where national conversations often dominate the media landscape, Wellington Access Radio continues to ensure local and minority voices are heard, supported, and resourced. The combination of long-term public funding support, strong governance, and deeply embedded community relationships underpins the station’s stability and impact.

The visit reinforced Wellington Access Radio’s role not only as a broadcaster, but as civic infrastructure,  a platform where communities can speak for themselves in their own languages, on their own terms.

You can explore Wellington Access Radio’s podcasts here.