Mackay celebrates 30 years on air
To mark The Country radio show’s 30th, Jane Ferguson asks host Jamie Mackay seven questions.
The Country radio show has come a long way since its humble beginnings at the Gore Showgrounds in 1994. Then, host Jamie Mackay was happily commentating club rugby in exchange for a dozen cans of DB Bitter from the Mataura Licensing Trust.
Cut to 30 years later, The Country has a loyal following all over New Zealand and Mackay is a household name in rural broadcasting.
While the show has gone through many changes over the years, its host has remained a constant, so what better way to celebrate The Country’s 30th than with the man himself?
Here, Jamie Mackay answers seven burning questions about The Country, his career, and rural life in general.
1 Looking back on 30 years — what are you most proud of?
Well, firstly I’m proud that I’ve survived 30 years in a pretty cutthroat industry. I’ve always joked that 95 per cent of all radio jobs are lost when you’re on annual leave. And that there’s always someone younger, smarter and, most importantly, cheaper, ready to take your slot. But I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been the first to take a rural radio show nationwide on a commercial network. And the biggest one of all to boot, in the form of Newstalk ZB.
When farmers spend more time on paperwork than at the coalface, the industry is in trouble. — Jamie Mackay
2 What made you get into broadcasting?
Desperation and the frustration of being a house husband. I went to university to become an accountant, but the death of my father when I was just 19 meant I went farming. I ended up selling the farm because the Rural Bank wouldn’t loan me the money to buy a neighbouring block and expand the operation. I couldn’t see a way forward and didn’t want to be still shearing all my own sheep at 50 years of age. I initially got into radio as a passive investor, with no real ambition to be on air. I’m a big believer in fate. My career came about by accident, not design!
3 How has farming changed since your broadcasting career started?
I sold my farm in 1992 and bought a radio station in 1994. I think the biggest change in the farming landscape has been the dairy boom of the 1990s and early 2000s. To be honest, the boom overreached and we ended up dairying on country we shouldn’t have. I think we’re much closer to equilibrium now. The other obvious big change is the technology boom. Farming is now a hi-tech business.
4 Do you have any concerns about where farming is going?
Yes. It’s a tough gig at the best of times. The weather, international commodity prices and exchange rates all conspire against you. You can’t control any of them. When farmers spend more time on paperwork than at the coalface, the industry is in trouble.
5 What’s your favourite interview of all time?
In my days at Hokonui Radio, we used to do a Sunday morning twohour sports show, where we could do long-form interviews. My father had raised me on stories of the legend of the great All Blacks prop Kevin Skinner, and how he had “sorted out” the Springbok front row in the third test of the epic 1956 series, arguably the most important in All Blacks history. To relive that in person with Skinner is an interview I will take to my grave.
6 Who is your favourite politician to interview?
Believe it or not, from someone with a centre-right political disposition, I used to really enjoy interviewing Helen Clark. She and Michael Cullen did a good job. Bill English, who I really rated, was ultimately kneecapped by Peters. For pure entertainment, it has to be Winston, or his loyal henchman Shane Jones, the self-titled Prince of the Provinces. Damien O’Connor is wonderfully argumentative. But the best of the bunch is John Key. He is the most impressive politician of my lifetime.
7 If you had one piece of advice for a young Jamie Mackay — what would it be?
You are going to make plenty of mistakes in your life, just don’t make the same mistake twice. And don’t be too tough on yourself. You’ve done OK for a broken-down Southland sheep farmer with a stutter.
The Country officially turns 30 on April 11