Silence means something's wrong

Pat Spellman was always quite fond of the idea of running for mayor of Tokoroa. Photo / Ruth Keber

This week's newsmaker is Moana Radio host Pat Spellman, who has attracted plenty of feedback following a proposal to make Tauranga New Zealand's first bilingual city.

1 Describe yourself in three words.

Big, brown and loud!

2 What would most people in Tauranga recognise or know you for?

I MC a lot of community events, I'm on air [with] Moana Radio - but mostly, I'm out and about quite a bit.

3 When you were a child, what or who did you want to be when you grew up and why?

I was always quite fond of the idea of running for mayor of Tokoroa (where I was brought up) - only because the guy who was mayor when I was younger, had been mayor forever. I thought I could probably bring a fresh approach to the job at age 10. I'm 24 this year, and he's still the mayor. He's had a good innings, my mate Mayor Sinclair.

4 How long have you been on Tauranga's airwaves as a radio host?

I joined the team at Moana Radio in early 2011 - and we've had a bit of fun in that time.

5 Do you have a nickname? What is it?

Nah, nicknames never really stuck with me. I'm from a place where everyone was "cuz", or "bro" - so unless you count those terms of endearment, Pat was as good as it got for me.

6 What has feedback been like to your proposal to make Tauranga the first bilingual city?

As I expected it would be. The same 12 people who complain about everything have projected their lacklustre opinions, while the rest of the city is excited about furthering the existing commitment we have to cultural diversity in our beautiful city. Tauranga Moana will be the first te reo-friendly city in Aotearoa - I can't wait.

7 How has this impacted those plans?

The small amount of negative feedback has justified why we need to emphasise our commitment to te Ao Maori. The huge amount of positive feedback has assured me we're on the right track. All feedback is good - I'm from an industry where when your hear silence, something is wrong ... so noise, is good!

8 Who is your favourite band?

Sidewalk Empire are top of my most played at the moment. They're a local band that I've seen play half a dozen times - and they leave me wanting more every time. Look them up - you won't be disappointed. I'm a big fan of Left Hand Break, Josh Pow, Porina & the girls from Empress, Sweet Echo - I could go on.

9 Do you ever take a cheeky advantage of your role at the radio station to play your favourite sounds more?

I'm pretty lucky to work at a station that plays the music that I love to listen to. And I have an on-to-it programmer who knows his stuff - so I don't tutu too much.

10 What do you think has been the biggest change in Tauranga in recent years?

The emergence of the pop-up movement - night markets, food markets, the little big markets - in a world where online retail is taking away from your malls and shopping centres. Businesses are finding a new way to connect with humans without the costly overheads - the pop-up industry will continue to grow, mark my words.