ANNUAL REPORT

Year ending 31 March 2011

Foreword by Chairperson

Echo Radio has completed another year broadcasting to the Dutch community in New Zealand through the Access Radio network. Since our studios are in Christchurch, it has been an eventful year with earthquakes in the thousands. Still the programme nearly went to air every week except for a few times when Community Access Radio (Plains FM) was not able to broadcast because of earthquake damage.

While such events are unwelcome, it is good to know that the people who make the programme are safe and well and we think of all those worse off than ourselves, whose homes are condemned and whose businesses are adversely affected including many members of the local Dutch community in Christchurch.

Highlights of the broadcasts this year have included coverage of the Frisian Festival in Hamilton. (http://www.fryslanferbynt.nl/english/new_zealand). Our reporter, Norma Kloosterman, went to the festival, reported on the activities and interviewed the organizers both in NZ and Netherlands.

Yoka Saris has been to Wellington and visited several listeners and interviewed landscape designer Jacob de Ruiter, who was born in NZ nearly sixty years ago, a second generation migrant but who is still able to speak Dutch. Jacob is the author of the book Wind Gardens, a book on how to combat inhospitable landscapes throughout NZ. (Jacob’s father, Adriaan, came to New Zealand in 1950 to join the National Orchestra as a foundation member playing the double bass.)

Still going strong is the weekly visit of Marja van der Graaf, our correspondent in the Netherlands. Marja, with her unique style, has been with us for more than three years. Her contribution to the programme is very well received by our listeners.

At the suggestion of one of our funders, Echo Radio has also undertaken a survey of listeners. This is a difficult task since we cannot survey all the possible listeners in New Zealand. However by asking listeners to report back to Echo Radio on their listening habits  a substantial number of regular listeners up and down the country contacted us. Some use the podcasts while others listen at the actual time of the broadcast. One reported that:

‘It is a fantastic programme and I listen often more than once to the same broadcast to get the fine details. The effort you put into it is very much appreciated, the content and technical side is always perfect and I imagine (as a keen long-time sound recordist myself) that it must take many hours to prepare. I even find the music good. Recently you played a track by the Louis van Dyck Trio, very good, and in full stereo.

I am a second generation New Zealander (hence the somewhat broken Dutch) but am very attached to the bond with the Netherlands and because I still have many family members there I like to hear every week how it’s going there. In that respect the interviews with Marja de Graaf are always interesting, amusing and pertinent to Dutch life.’

As well as the programme itself, the Echo Radio web site continues to improve in both content and accessibility and is accessed now by people from many parts of the world.

On the negative side of the balance sheet, this year has seen the withdrawal of funding from one of our principal funders. This has placed the payment of airtime for the broadcasts in a precarious situation. It is to be hoped that this situation will be turned around for next year.

Furthermore some material broadcast on Echo Radio comes from Radio Nederland Wereldomroep. This service is also undergoing review and so it is uncertain where our main source of Dutch news and current affairs might come from in future.

Like earthquakes, such events are unpredictable and have serious consequences.

But, more predictably, Echo Radio is again grateful for the support of The Christchurch Netherlands Society and not least of all The Friends of Echo Radio.

The programme continues to be put to air by Theo Boekel who is responsible for production and editing and most of the story selection. Reports were provided by Norma Kloosterman and Yoka Saris. Marja van der Graaf provides a weekly link with the Netherlands. Regular news readers were Theo Boekel and Yoka Saris. Technical support was provided by Martin van Urk and Raymond Farrelly.

(Professor) Koenraad Kuiper (PhD, DSc)