Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the envy of many. Les McLean was the first of the 20 players who have so far been selected for the All Blacks from Bay of Plenty. He played as a forward in the second and third tests against the 1921 Springboks – and at full-back against New South Wales in 1923. Bay of Plenty’s most capped All Black is Hika Reid. Hailing from Ngongotaha near Rotorua, Reid’s grandfather, J. Hikatarewa, played for New Zealand Maori in 1913. Reid was selected for the All Blacks in 1980 when test incumbent Andy Dalton was unavailable for what turned out to
Radio Bay of Plenty the station. Its original slogan included the words "from the Eastern Bay of Plenty, wherever you may go, the entertainment's better when you dial 1 2 4 0". Broadcasting Minister H.J. Walker officially opened the station at 10.30am on Wednesday 30 June 1971. It initially broadcast 19.5 hours of live original local content from 5.00am to 12.30am each day with additional 24-hour licenses granted during some summer holiday seasons. The station was not allowed to broadcast advertising on Sundays and did all its own local and international news and sports reporting. It gave away one of the country's first colour