ZGFM
radio station in Gisborne
ZGFM was a radio station in Gisborne, New Zealand.
The station was originally started by Radio New Zealand on 1010 AM with the callsign 2XG. The station callsign and branding was later changed to 2ZG.
In 1978 2ZG moved to 945AM, the change in frequency was due to the New Zealand AM band changing from 10 kHz frequency spacing to 9 kHz spacing. Coinciding with the change, the station became known on air as The Coaster 2ZG.
The Coaster 2ZG began broadcasting on 90.9FM during the 1990s and was rebranded as ZGFM.
In July 1996 the New Zealand Government sold off the commercial arm of Radio New Zealand, the sale included ZGFM. The new owner was The Radio Network, a subsidiary of APN News & Media and Clear Channel Communications, which operated as a division of the Australian Radio Network.
In 1998 The Radio Network grouped all their local stations in smaller markets together to form the Community Radio Network. ZGFM continued to run a local breakfast show between 6am and 10am but outside breakfast all stations part of the Community Radio Network took network programming from a central studio based in Taupo.
In 2001 the Community Radio Network was discontinued and all stations become part of the Classic Hits FM network, as a result ZGFM was rebranded as Classic Hits 90.9 ZGFM. The station continued to run a local breakfast but now outside breakfast all programming originated from the Classic Hits studios in Auckland. The original 945AM frequency was replaced with Newstalk ZB.
On 28 April 2014, all stations part of the Classic Hits network were rebranded as The Hits. A networked breakfast presented by Polly Gillespie and Grant Kareama was introduced to almost all The Hits stations with the former breakfast announcer moved to present a 6-hour show between 9 am and 3 pm. The local 9 am-3 pm show is presented by Connor Ruston.
The studios were located on the corner of Grey Street and Childers Road in Gisborne which has now been reutilised as a restaurant and bar.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “ZGFM” is radio station in Gisborne. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through ZGFM, radio and station, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “radio station in Gisborne” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4633262. Authority coordinates are -38.666, 178.023. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1010, 1978, 1996 and 1998.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “ZGFM”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow ZGFM primary sources, ZGFM archive and ZGFM research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “ZGFM”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “ZGFM” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.