Our friends in the north (abridged radio interview)
I had two CDs in the car and I was riving north alone. North to Rangiputa, on the Karikari
peninsula.
I'd played both CDs on high rotate for about four hours to avoid nasty collisions with commercial
radio stations. one was Eminem, the other a contemporary jazz compilation and, despite their
(5) arguable merits, both seemed discordant with the landscape surrounding me. Big Dairy-Whip
clouds bounced along the tops of hills that looked like Dick Frizzell paintings, the sky was pale
satin-blue and lush things grew there.
Whangarei, Kawakawa and a spontaneous diversion to Kaikohe and Opononi. Then to Ahipara,
Kaitaia and Rangiputa. The names of countless towns that were familiar, yet unexplored, whizzed
(10) by.
I scanned the wireless for some friendly voices. As the tuner ran through the numbers, I mused that
radio is rather like the nursery rhyme about the little girl with the little curl in the middle of her
forehead: when it's good its very, very good and when it's bad it's horrid. When it's good, radio is
unparallelled company and like a sort of compass when negotiating uncharted territory. It can tell
(15) you where you are, who lives there, what the weather's like, what goes on. Free from the cynical
imperatives and caterwauling of commercial stations, independents are, at their best, not dislocated
from the communities they serve, but an honest reflection of them.
The tuner stopped at 92.8FM and a recorded voice declared, with perfect enunciation: 'It's cool to
korero!' Another voice came in. 'Where! Where means red, like when you've been out all night
(20) and you wake up and your eyeballs are where, he, he, he.'
Welcome to Tautoko FM, said the DJ. Missy Elliot came next, followed by Kiwi star Brooke Fraser,
who was 'worth a whakaronga na [listen]'. The playlist was clearly and blessedly arbitrary, for next
came 'Poi-E' by Prince Tui Teka, then Lauren Hills version of 'You're just too good to be true...'
And there, 92.8FM, the wireless stayed.
(25) On my way to Matai Bay, Trinity Roots played on the Drive Show. At Doubtless Bay, I listened to
reggae and the banter of the announcers who switched with grace and ease from Maori to English.
There was news on health issues, a film festival and social services, all from an unashamedly
parochial perspective.
Fat drops of rain pelted the windscreen on the day I left. I decided to ring Tautoko. 'Hi, I'm Sarah,
(30) from Wellington.' I told the bloke how much I'd enjoyed listening to their show. he asked if I had a
request. Um, Trinity Roots, please. 'Chooooiiiiiiice,' he said stretching the word right out. 'Kia ora,
Sarah.'
I missed my request, because 15 minutes up the road I got a flat tyre. Later, as I drove through
Cable Bay, the DJ interviewed Nesian Mystik's lead singer, who would soon be presenting a show
(35) for Tautoko. The reception dipped and rose with each undulation of the road.
By Kaeo, I'd lost contact and I was back to roaming, in the words of Che Fu, the misty frequencies.
[Source: 'Our Friends in the North', Sarah Daniells, radio review, New Zealadn Listened, Feb25 - March 5, 2004, vol. 92, no. 3329]
1a) Identify ONE pun in the second paragraph (lines 3-7). (A)
1b) Explain its double meaning. (A)
2. In lines 11-14, the author explains her idea that good radio is 'like a sort of compass when negotiating uncharted territory'. How is Tautoko FM shown to be a like a 'sort of compass' in the review as a whole. (A/M/E)
3. Explain several ways in which lines 29-36 form an effective conclusion to this review. (You could consider aspects such as structure, contrast, links and tone). (A/M/E)
ANSWERS
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2006 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 24-25)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2007 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 25-26)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2009 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 31-32)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2010 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 24)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2014 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 31)
peninsula.
I'd played both CDs on high rotate for about four hours to avoid nasty collisions with commercial
radio stations. one was Eminem, the other a contemporary jazz compilation and, despite their
(5) arguable merits, both seemed discordant with the landscape surrounding me. Big Dairy-Whip
clouds bounced along the tops of hills that looked like Dick Frizzell paintings, the sky was pale
satin-blue and lush things grew there.
Whangarei, Kawakawa and a spontaneous diversion to Kaikohe and Opononi. Then to Ahipara,
Kaitaia and Rangiputa. The names of countless towns that were familiar, yet unexplored, whizzed
(10) by.
I scanned the wireless for some friendly voices. As the tuner ran through the numbers, I mused that
radio is rather like the nursery rhyme about the little girl with the little curl in the middle of her
forehead: when it's good its very, very good and when it's bad it's horrid. When it's good, radio is
unparallelled company and like a sort of compass when negotiating uncharted territory. It can tell
(15) you where you are, who lives there, what the weather's like, what goes on. Free from the cynical
imperatives and caterwauling of commercial stations, independents are, at their best, not dislocated
from the communities they serve, but an honest reflection of them.
The tuner stopped at 92.8FM and a recorded voice declared, with perfect enunciation: 'It's cool to
korero!' Another voice came in. 'Where! Where means red, like when you've been out all night
(20) and you wake up and your eyeballs are where, he, he, he.'
Welcome to Tautoko FM, said the DJ. Missy Elliot came next, followed by Kiwi star Brooke Fraser,
who was 'worth a whakaronga na [listen]'. The playlist was clearly and blessedly arbitrary, for next
came 'Poi-E' by Prince Tui Teka, then Lauren Hills version of 'You're just too good to be true...'
And there, 92.8FM, the wireless stayed.
(25) On my way to Matai Bay, Trinity Roots played on the Drive Show. At Doubtless Bay, I listened to
reggae and the banter of the announcers who switched with grace and ease from Maori to English.
There was news on health issues, a film festival and social services, all from an unashamedly
parochial perspective.
Fat drops of rain pelted the windscreen on the day I left. I decided to ring Tautoko. 'Hi, I'm Sarah,
(30) from Wellington.' I told the bloke how much I'd enjoyed listening to their show. he asked if I had a
request. Um, Trinity Roots, please. 'Chooooiiiiiiice,' he said stretching the word right out. 'Kia ora,
Sarah.'
I missed my request, because 15 minutes up the road I got a flat tyre. Later, as I drove through
Cable Bay, the DJ interviewed Nesian Mystik's lead singer, who would soon be presenting a show
(35) for Tautoko. The reception dipped and rose with each undulation of the road.
By Kaeo, I'd lost contact and I was back to roaming, in the words of Che Fu, the misty frequencies.
[Source: 'Our Friends in the North', Sarah Daniells, radio review, New Zealadn Listened, Feb25 - March 5, 2004, vol. 92, no. 3329]
1a) Identify ONE pun in the second paragraph (lines 3-7). (A)
1b) Explain its double meaning. (A)
2. In lines 11-14, the author explains her idea that good radio is 'like a sort of compass when negotiating uncharted territory'. How is Tautoko FM shown to be a like a 'sort of compass' in the review as a whole. (A/M/E)
3. Explain several ways in which lines 29-36 form an effective conclusion to this review. (You could consider aspects such as structure, contrast, links and tone). (A/M/E)
ANSWERS
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2006 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 24-25)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2007 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 25-26)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2009 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 31-32)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2010 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 24)
(NCEA Level 2 English revision guide. 2014 edition, Really Useful Resources, pg. 31)