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 1XX, under sponsorship from Moro chocolate bar manufacturer Cadbury. The 1XX programme was played on Cadbury Moro FM between 11pm and 6am the next morning. The complete transition to FM broadcasting was made on 12 December 1988. Announcer Terry Casserly had to ad-lib during the opening broadcast, when a live cross to company chairman Ross Neiderer was lost to dead air. The 90.5 FM from Mount Putauaki was the most powerful FM signal in the Bay of Plenty and was used as the station's main frequency, with a simulcast on the station's previous AM frequency. Another frequency on 93.0 FM