Ōmokoroa Point School’s radio station Kuaka FM back on the airwaves with student DJs

Raffy Duffy and Keira Gemmell are the voices of Kuaka FM. Photo / Rebecca Mauger

Kuaka FM disc jockeys took to the airwaves on Friday afternoon and the happiness was obvious with Pharrell Williams’ Happy blasting as the first song.

Keira Gemmell and Raffy Duffy are the DJs of the little radio station at Ōmokoroa Point School and they held court like pros on their first day back on the airwaves.

“Our DJs were practising doing the song intros like real radio DJs,” teacher Deirdre Duggan says.

“They were so excited to hear themselves over the radio and on the big speaker outside. Students gathered for the dance party celebrations.”

The outside of the studio was decorated with streamers and balloons, music was playing and everybody was dancing and having a great time, she says.

Kuaka FM is part of the school’s new motif and rebranding which focuses on the bar-tailed godwit’s (kuaka) characteristics as “thinkers, citizens and navigators” and on how they are known to take the longest migration from the Arctic to New Zealand.

The original 107.3 FM station began in 2013 in a small, makeshift soundproof studio on site. Student DJs delivered little jingles, school notices and various messages. But the equipment needed upgrading and the station was abandoned.

The station now has all the gear and skill they need thanks to Dan Hesson from Ōmokoroa IT, Nick Rose from Alliance AV, Justine Drift “Drifter DJ” and the Ōmokoroa Men’s Shed.

Ōmokoroa Point School had a big celebration at the opening of Kuaka FM.

“Over the term, we will test ideas from students about what content they would like to hear over the radio, have some lunchtime music, quizzes and maybe some stories.”

The students have created a variety of jingles to play and will be recording themselves reading a story. Programming times will include some te reo, school and community news, special school event reporting and more.