Help open the doors of Hutt Radio to the wider community

Since 2011, Hutt Radio has connected the community, provided thousands of hours of free airtime to clubs, charities, schools, ethnic groups and individuals; supported local musicians; and trained people in communication and employment skills. We help them reach the wider Hutt Valley community and tell their stories.

But since 2020, we’ve had a significant barrier: no studio.

That’s meant we’ve needed to record offsite, which has been challenging for many of our presenters. As a result, they stopped making their programmes and we lost important content that benefited our community: like shows that shared our diverse cultures and languages and local sport. People who used to come to the station for company and to feel they were contributing were left with nowhere to go.

Then, in mid-2021 Neko Ngeru Cat Café purchased a building in central Lower Hutt and offered us space. We’re incredibly grateful for their partnership, which has enabled a team of volunteers to put in the hard mahi installing soundproofing and equipment. Those that could donated towards purchasing fitting and equipment. So far, around $15,000 has been spent.

In June of 2022, we were ready to launch. But then disaster struck. Our 22-year-old mixer, which controls all the music and voices you hear, stopped working.

We need your help to purchase a new digital mixer that will last at least a decade. We need your help to once again open the doors of Hutt Radio to the community.