Jean Hill says Hawke's Bay Phone News is on the hunt for new readers and a coordinator. Photo / Michaela Gower
Jean Hill says Hawke's Bay Phone News is on the hunt for new readers and a coordinator. Photo / Michaela Gower
Four days a week, 90-year-old Jean Hill picks up the telephone in her Hastings home with today’s Hawke’s Bay Today paper in her hand.
She is one of about 14 dedicated volunteers who will be heard by people from Dannevirke to Wairoa who call a dedicated number to listen to recordings of Hawke’s Bay’s latest news.
However, after more than 25 years of helping those who can’t read the paper, The Phone News Hawke’s Bay needs more voices to keep the crucial, one-of-a-kind service alive. Mitchell Hageman reports.
A simple and polite “good morning” will greet you when you ring Hawke’s Bay’s only phone news hotline, followed by a word-by-word recording of the Hawke’s Bay Today section you want to hear.
It’s never shouted, it’s never too quiet, and it’s always crystal clear.
Perhaps your vision doesn’t allow you to read the paper or online articles, or you don’t have the mobility to access a physical copy; the service could be the difference between knowing and not knowing what’s happening in your community.
Now, The Phone News Hawke’s Bay, which started in the days of the Hawke’s Bay Herald Tribune, needs the community’s help to continue.
The Phone News HB secretary Jean Hill said the service’s longevity wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of volunteers, who take time out of their week to record the news, sports, and community notices.
“There are about 10 different areas that the readers read from, and people dial in to hear what areas they want to listen to,” she said.
“We don’t read from any other paper besides Hawke’s Bay Today.”
The service was started by blind woman June Stead in 1998.
“She felt there was room to set up something for the blind, or those who were unable to read the paper, [so they] could get the news.”
Mostly circulated through rest homes, hospitals and community organisations, people can call a dedicated phone number to hear the latest Hawke's Bay Today news. Photo / Michaela Gower
Fundraising helped get the ball rolling, but the Hastings District Masonic Trust jumped on board a few years in and said it would pay for telephone accessibility, run by a Napier cable company.
“None of us gets paid for anything, and we don’t look to be paid. It’s a very necessary and appreciative service that we provide to those less fortunate than us,” Hill said.
Coordinator Beryl Reinders has diligently steered the ship for about 20 years but stepped aside this year, and the organisation is on the hunt for new readers and volunteers.
Hill said the role would be ideal for people fluent in English who spoke “plainly and not too quickly”.
She said it was a rewarding role that was very people-focused.
“A caring attitude is very important. When a person is ringing up, they could be in real strife, wanting to know something, and they don’t want a voice on the other end that isn’t friendly.”
People who want more information about the service or would like to help can phone 06 878 3601.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
