A silver cylinder thought to be a possible bomb turned out to be a surprise time capsule filled with treasures from 1996.
Parliament’s security team found the container while doing checks in a tunnel between the old Broadcasting House and Parliament. It was meant to stay hidden until the year 2050.
After making sure it was safe, the team discovered it was packed with old items from Radio New Zealand. The container, which looked like a painted metal paint tin, held cassette tapes, CDs, and digital audio tapes, along with old newsletters, posters, and even merchandise like a “Sports Roundup” cap.
One cassette featured a full episode of Morning Report from June 12, 1996. On that day, snowstorms were hitting parts of the country, and big political news included Michael Cullen becoming deputy leader of the Labour Party.
There were also recordings of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and a documentary from 1972 about daily life inside Broadcasting House. Other fun finds included the first episode of the children’s programme EARS, with a story about Tarzan, and a list of New Zealand’s top songs in 1996. The number one Kiwi song was Right On by OMC.
Papers inside the capsule showed what life was like at RNZ nearly 30 years ago. One newsletter gave staff updates, listed every employee, and even pointed out a funny writing mistake: “It’s the fifth consecutive year in a row…”
