Farewell to analogue as digital switchover completed

With a quick press of a button, Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss has brought to an end more than 60 years of analogue television and moved television broadcasting across the country into the digital world.

The final analogue signal in New Zealand was beamed out from Kordia’s Waiatarua TV tower in Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges just before 2am over the weekend, on December 1.

All television signals are now broadcast in digital format, with the switch to digital beginning 15 months ago when Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast regions were the first to farewell analogue signals.

Now, with the analogue TV signal finally consigned to history, the spectrum will be used to bring next generation mobile broadband services to New Zealanders.

Attending the weekend's ceremony were a range of TV industry guests and government representatives, as well as Kordia Infrastructure Manager Peter Best who has worked on the analogue and digital TV transmitters for more than 40 years.

The Waiatarua tower was built in 1965 and stands about 350m above sea level thanks to its position high in west Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges. By comparison, the top of the city’s Sky Tower is 360m above sea level.