So this isn't your first radio job; what led you to a career in radio in the first instance, what do you love about it?
I always had a creative itch, a lust to perform, to be on stage in some way. And then as soon as I first stepped into a studio for work experience when at school, I fell in love with everything radio. I love how it can make people laugh, cry, scream along to their favourite songs in the car, and I think there is nothing else quite like that. Now being on The Hits with our awesome playlist and hilarious shows like Jono and Ben, I'm living the 17-year-old Connor's dream!
You were pretty fresh out of radio school when you started hosting the Hokonui Breakfast show in Gore, was that a steep learning curve?
Absolutely, but I had good grounding from my time at broadcasting school and then in Queenstown. The hardest thing was that I actually move to Gore just three days before Covid-19 hit the country. We went into lockdown and I hadn't even driven along the main street of Gore at that point! So I was hosting a show, keeping people connected and informed during a national lockdown, talking to people in a place I hadn't even explored myself.
Luckily, New Zealand's lockdown was pretty short, so you did get to explore Gore eventually?
Yes, and I did enjoy it, but the opportunity to move to Taranaki had to be taken. There's more people my age and demographic here in Taranaki and overall I would say it is so much prettier, although you can't beat Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, it really is the prettiest place in the world in my opinion. But Taranaki has lots of beautiful places and it's the wild and untamed feel to the region I love, I can't wait to get out and explore it.
We do have some amazing scenery, including our maunga of course. Have you had a chance to get on the slopes yet?
So far the days I've had free the ski field has been closed, and the days I can't make it, it's been open, so not yet, but hopefully soon.
When you aren't on air, what do you get up to - what are your hobbies or interests?
At the moment I am going out quite a bit getting to know the area. I like open mic nights. I also pretend to be good at playing guitar and singing.
A love of music has to be important when you are hosting a show on The Hits, so what music do you particularly enjoy?
Dua Lipa, she's smashing it currently, I'm also a bit of a sneaky fan of Benee and am a big fan of Lorde as well.
Two out of three of those female artists are Kiwi of course, are there any up and coming Kiwi artists you think we should keep an eye on?
That's an easy one. Jenny Mitchell. She's from Gore which is how I first came across her, and it's probably not surprising to hear she is a country artist, given Gore's status as the Country Music Capital of New Zealand. While I'm not necessarily a straight-out country fan, I love her mix of country, Americana that she gives a modernish vibe to. Look her up and listen to her stuff. I think she is going on tour later this year as well, so keep an eye out.
We all have a few secret guilty pleasures when it comes to music- so are there any surprising things on your playlist?
There's a really fine line isn't there, between acceptable guilty pleasure and the ones you really don't want to own up to! But if I give you my phone right now and you look at my playlist, you'll see The Smiths feature there, that's probably one of them.
Other than great music all day, everyday, what else can your listeners expect to hear when you are on air?
Plenty of chat about all things local, I enjoy talking to people about the initiatives happening in the community, and helping groups get a bit more exposure, get their message out there. That is another thing I love about Taranaki actually, I think the community really looks after each other, and I am looking forward to being part of that.
• Tune in to The Hits Taranaki 90.0FM and South Taranaki 91.2FM with Connor Live and Local: weekdays 9am-3pm.
