Since its formation in 1926, the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) has been the focus of amateur radio activity in New Zealand.    It is to the Association's credit that, in commisioning the Historical Branch of the Department of Internal Affiars to produce this book, it has refrained from calling the piper's tune.    There has been no attempt to sanitise the story or impose a party line, either by restricting access to information or by censoring the text.    Equally refreshing has been the organisation's desire to fund a book of interest to the general reader as well as the devotee.

The Association deserves credit too for resisting the temptation to pay for a narrow history of itself.    Instead it has taken a mature decision to fund a wider history of amateur radio, in which it has played an important but by no means exclusive role.    Amateur radio has been around a lot longer than the Association, and about half of the country's licensed amateurs never become members.    It seems appropriate then that the book is being published not to mark some NZART milestone, but to celebrate the 75th anniversary of amateur radio licensing, on the 18th of Janauary 1998.

Throughout its history the NZART has attracted individuals who have had a keen sense of posterity.    Several attempts have been made from within the organisation to write a history of amateur radio in New Zealand.    While none of the attempts went the distance, I am indebted to those involved for the material they gathered.    I also wish to record my gratitude to the Historical Branch for providing the job, the supervision and a room with a view, to Ron Parry for his steady co-ordination of the project on behalf of the NZART, and to the many other individuals who have freely given of their time, talents, memories and photographs.