Bright & Breezy Max - 'I WAS BORN FOR THIS!'

Growing up with a DJ dad, the radio host was destined to rock the airwaves

- Donna Fleming

Radio is in Max Baird’s blood. His dad Mike is a former legend of the airwaves in Rotorua and for as long as he can remember, Max has wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Now a year into his dream job as the co-host on The Breeze Tauranga’s breakfast show, Max still can’t quite believe that he gets to do what he loves for a living. “Every day, I think, ‘They’re actually paying me to do this!’” says Max, 26. “I feel so incredibly fortunate.”

A career in radio has been his goal for as long as he can remember.

“I fell in love with radio very early. There are photos of me holding a microphone when I was barely walking. I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment where radio hasn’t excited me.”

On the weekends as a youngster, he accompanied his dad to his job at The Breeze in Rotorua and during the school holidays learned how to operate the sound desk.

Mike says, “He’d be there saying, ‘Ten seconds to go, Dad’, and he’d drive the desk while I did the talking. It was awesome.”

At home, Max set up his own make-believe studio in the garage and spent hours pretending to broadcast.

“I found some of the scripts he’d written in the garage once,” recalls Mike. “I didn’t say anything to him because I didn’t want to embarrass him, but it was really nice to see him take such an interest. And he was really funny!”