Former long-time RNZ presenter Philip Liner sadly passed away over Easter and in Sound Archives at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, Sarah Johnston will take us through some highlights of his landmark programme Roundabout, which captured aspects of Kiwi life for over 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s.
Philip emigrated to New Zealand in 1968 from the UK where he had worked in radio, and found work with the-then NZBC as a newsreader and presenter. This was in the days when NZBC covered both TV and radio and he was often seen on television as well, always wearing one of his trademark bow-ties.
He presented light entertainment programmes, especially musical ones, such as the Mobil Song Quest and was known for his relaxed, friendly style that was not too high-brow.
In 1975 – when Radio New Zealand was split from the TV parts of the NZBC – he was finally given the go-ahead for an idea he’d been trying to get started for years – a programme called Roundabout.
This was a light-hearted programme of music and interviews that he recorded with people wherever he happened to go. It ran for about 15 years till his retirement in 1990.
He went all over New Zealand with Roundabout – and overseas as well. There was never much budget for travel but he developed good relations with a variety of government departments to help overcome this, such as the railways.
One episode was recorded on board the Silver Fern rail car in 1979, which used to run daily between Auckland and Wellington from the 1970s until 1991.
As well as Roundabout, people may remember Philip Liner fronting entertainment programmes; he did a lot of work with community musical groups, brass bands and also Māori performing groups.
In early 1980, Wellington’s big urban marae on Thorndon Quay, Pipitea was under construction after many years planning and fundraising. Philip made a tour of the building site with kaumātua Ralph Love – later Sir Ralph – of Te Āti Āwa.
Despite the lack of a travel budget, Roundabout took Philip further afield, allegedly totalling some 2 million kms - he recorded programmes all over the world.
In 1988 Kiwis were flocking to Brisbane to attend World Expo ’88, a massive world’s fair which ran for 6 months. Roundabout went there to report on the New Zealand Pavilion, one of the star attractions, with a bush walk, shearing shed, a restaurant serving Kiwi food and drink (in a Lockwood home – 20 tonnes of hokey pokey icecream a week) and non-stop live entertainment.
Photo: Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
