No New Zealand station has a backstory like Radio Hauraki. It began on 4 December 1966 as a pirate station broadcasting from the ship Tiri in the Hauraki Gulf, defying the state broadcasting monopoly; it finally came ashore legally in 1970 as the country's first private commercial station of the modern era. Today, owned by NZME and headquartered in Auckland, Hauraki is a nationwide rock network playing classic, modern and alternative rock. Its rebellious pirate heritage still shapes the brand's irreverent tone, on-air humour and loyalty to guitar music.
