Hanging up the headphones

After 34 years on Tūranga FM, Walter ‘The Wiz’ Walsh is moving on. He spoke to kaupapa Māori reporter Matai O’Connor. 

Walter Walsh, 56, is definitely the whizz who is The Wiz, on the mic at Tūranga FM after entertaining the communities of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa for more than 30 years.

He started in radio on February 20, 1990 and his last day was yesterday, March 1, 2024.

During that time he has worked as an on-air presenter and the technical programme director which involves the scheduling of programmes and other technology-based mahi for the radio station.

Walter was born in Tokoroa but moved to Ruatōria at a young age to be raised by his grandmother. He went to Hiruharama Primary School, then moved to Upper Hutt and went to Māoribank School, Maidstone Intermediate and Heretaunga College before moving back to Gisborne and going to Te Karaka School and Waikohu College. He completed his secondary schooling at Ngata Memorial College. He has whakapapa to Ngāti Porou and Te Aitanga a Mahaki.

Walter’s interest in radio began when he was serving in the New Zealand Army.

He joined the Army at 17 and served for eight years. During that time he was fascinated by the radio operators and what they did. He did a radio signals course and that was his first step into radio.

He came back to Gisborne and was based with Alpha Company and Sergeant Major Gary Grant. He became the radio operator.

He had the voice for it and everybody enjoyed hearing him on the Army radio waves. On radio now, his voice changes to a more classic radio jock sound.

When he left the army, he decided to pursue radio and in 1989 enrolled at Tairāwhiti Polytechnic, as it was then, in a small training programme. Among his classmates were future fellow Tūranga FM staffers Darryl Ahuriri and Ra Walker.

The following year, Gisborne sound man Russell Braithwaite bought a channel called RRR which was on 96.2FM and he was the manager.

In 1991, Radio Te Kakano was established and managed by Bruce Burn, with Mini Westrupp assisting.

Two years later it became Tūranga FM.

Over that time he has seen many faces come and go and interviewed countless numbers of people.

He has worked with all the different managers — Bruce Burn, Mini Westrupp, Maehe Nikora, Fred Maynard and now Mātai Rangi Smith who is taking the iwi radio station into the future with the inclusion of digital media.

He has covered all the time slots, including 22 years as the breakfast show host. In 2019 he went to the Night Train show which runs from 6pm to midnight. On March 11 he would have been on that show for five years.

“With the Night Train I often get people who are working the night shifts and listen to the show all the way through. I love to hear the joy in their voice when I play a song they want. You forget about the night workers — the radio is on for company.”

The name “The Wiz” came from a short conversation Walter had with 89FM breakfast host at the time Jeremy Hagland, who said, “You’re a bit of whizz on there, aren’t you?”

He had had the radio name Thunderbolt Walt, which he didn’t like.

The Wiz is now trademarked to Walter so no one else can use it.

He decided to leave Tūranga FM after returning home from a Christmas holiday with his family in Australia.

He has been married to Lena for 20 years and they’ve been together for 25. They have a 14-year-old daughter.

“She’s my backbone, and has put up with all my mahi. She has always made my dinners that I bring to work. She’s wonderful.”

He came back to New Zealand, opened Facebook and saw a post that said “Do you work to live or live to work?” It made him ponder his own life.

He realised it was time for him to find something different that meant he could work to live better instead of living to work.

He is going to Tūranga Health full time, having done various projects with them for 12 years. He started there as a smoking cessation coach which he did for about five years before taking on the role of running the kaumātua programme.

“It’s a great organisation that I love to work with. The team there and the mahi they do is awesome. I am looking forward to it.”

The Wiz is also a qualified tai chi instructor and has been teaching classes for the last three years, including ones for beginners, arthritis, force prevention,diabetes and seated tai chi. He has two classes a week with around 46 participants.

He is looking at growing those classes.

For Walter, there are many highlights from his career in iwi radio but he says the interviews he has done over the years with many different musicians and people were some of the best.

He has interviewed such people as The Wailers, Rebel SoulJahz, Willie Hona from The Herbs, When the Cats Away and many others.

Receiving an award at the 2012 Iwi Radio awards in the bilingual announcer over 25 category was a high point.

Then in 2016 he won the award for individual contribution to Māori radio. That was also the year Tūranga FM was named station of the year and received the award for best regional news reporting.

“I want to give a big thank you to the community. They put me where I am today. This mahi wasn’t about me, it was about the people. Without them I wouldn’t have stayed for so long.

“I’ll still be out there in the community doing mahi related to the charities I’m involved with as well as MC work and singing.” He is also a JP.

“I’m not leaving town. Gisborne is it for me.”

He wishes the Tūranga FM team all the best for the future and says he will always be listening.