Welcome to the New Zealand Vintage Radio reference site.
Our mission is to photo-catalogue as many NZ-designed, manufactured and distributed valve radios (that's tube radios for our American visitors) as possible, preserving them for future generations while also providing a handy reference for restorers and enthusiasts.
Alongside this will be the history of those pioneering manufacturers and brands, some of them on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the radio field.
In 1929, a small shop opened in Wellington - repairing radios, and supplying parts to those building their own. The owner, William Marks, had only arrived in Wellington a few years earlier - stepping onto the docks speaking little English and having almost no money - but within a few short years he would grow this small store to become arguably the largest electronics manufacturing and distribution organisation the country had yet seen.
The firm began as W. Marks Ltd., but would soon be given a title more closely resembling Marks’ ambitions - Radio Corporation (N.Z.) Ltd. By the end of 1936 Marks would take his company public, changing its name once more, to the Radio Corporation of New Zealand Ltd - and alongside it sat his new retail arm - a nationwide chain of stores called Columbus Radio Centres.
This book follows the development of the company and its products from its earliest days until it was eventually taken over, in 1959, by Pye (N.Z.) Ltd. The core details are interwoven with stories from the factory, stories about the staff members who made it more than just a job, stories about their radios, the brands they manufactured (Including Columbus and Courtenay) and technological breakthroughs they made in the radio field, including the world-first affordable and rock-steady bandspread radio in 1939/40. There is even a chapter detailing their work towards the war effort, the products they made and repaired during that period, and the wartime shenanigans they got up to.
The book, containing nearly 800 photos, images and advertisements spread over 400 pages, encompasses the golden age of radio, and is a must for radio enthusiasts, social history buffs or those interested in New Zealand’s manufacturing past
Order your limited print-run copy now: $149 + P&P - Click here to email your order
The Haywin Model 42. A small mantle set made by
Radio Warehouse Ltd for Hays Department Store
in Christchurch.
Much of the information we have has come from restorers and collectors, from the NZVRS and from old periodicals / newspapers (a special thanks to the team behind PapersPast) - and from the incredible books written by the late John W. Stokes - The Golden Age of Radio in the Home and More Golden Age of Radio.
A very special thankyou goes to the New Zealand Vintage Radio Society who strive to keep the knowledge and passion for these radios alive. If you're not a member then please consider joining. Membership has its privileges.
A quick note on images: Many of our vintage radios are becoming hard to find let alone photograph. The images on this site have been assembled from various sources including private and public collections, the web, and online auction sites. It is not our intention to ever 'steal' photos, however if you find a photo that belongs to you then please contact the site admin for attribution, modification or removal.
IMPORTANT: We need your help - information on manufacturers and radios, schematics, photos... if you have anything to contribute please do. If you can email it, then send it to the site admin
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