Colvins win global tough radio award

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

GISBORNE radio communications company Colvins Ltd has won a worldwide competition run by Tait Communications for the company that puts its radios to the toughest tests.

Tait is a multinational company based in Christchurch that exports 95 percent of its radio and communications products. The company ran a worldwide competition for their resellers, asking them to put their radios to the test in harsh conditions.

“One of Colvins forestry customers accidentally put one of our radios to the test when it was dropped out of a backpack hoisted on a wire over a valley by a forestry gang,” said Tait spokeswoman Effie Lochrane.

“The radio fell at least 20m into a flooded river. Three months later the radio was dug out of a mud pit and worked perfectly with a fresh battery,” she said.

Colvins Ltd are Tait’s Gisborne reseller and Eastland Group is one of their biggest local customers. Earlier this week the company presented Laurie Colvin with the cash prize.

“It was kind of a surprise. I didn’t think we were in there with much of a chance,” Laurie Colvin said.

“Because of the toughness of their products Tait are the preferred manufacturer of forestry radio equipment in this region. We are happy to support them by on-selling a well-made New Zealand product.”