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History of the manufacturer  

His Master's Voice (N.Z.), Ltd., HMV; Wellington

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Name: His Master's Voice (N.Z.), Ltd., HMV; Wellington    (NZ)  
Abbreviation: his-master
Products: Model types
Summary:

His Master's Voice (N.Z.) Ltd.
118-120 Wakefield Street, Wellington. (1926-1957)
164-167 Wakefield Street, Wellington. (1954-        )

HMV is an international brand that reaches back into the earliest days of radio. Gramophones and recordings were imported from 1907 and His Master’s Voice (N.Z.) Limited, was set up in 1926. Radios were imported from the UK, USA, and Australia and manufactured by HMV New Zealand and other New Zealand manufacturers. Radio production ceased in the late 1950s and the company concentrated on the music industry and became EMI (New Zealand) Limited, in 1972

Founded: 1926
Closed: 1974
Production: 1926 - 1962
Documents about this manufacturer/brand
  Written by two employees of EMI (NZ) Ltd. in 1976 to mark 50 years since the firm began in New Zealand as His Master’s Voice. 4109 KB
History:

From 1907 until 1926 His Master’s Voice was represented in New Zealand by importers and wholesale distributors E J Hyams Ltd. who held the licence to distribute its recordings and gramophones on a five percent commission basis. At this time the main Australasian agency for His Master‘s Voice was in Sydney. [1][2]

In 1926 it was decided by HMV’s parent company, The Gramophone Co. Ltd. of Hayes, UK, to form a New Zealand company and on 10 May 1926, His Master’s Voice (New Zealand) Limited was incorporated with an authorised capital of £50,000.  Mr. E J Hyams was the principal shareholder and Managing Director and Mr. Alfred Wyness was also a shareholder and Director of the company. The Gramophone Company in Britain held 25 percent of the shares and was represented on the Board by Mr. W Manson, Managing Director of their Sydney subsidiary. A year earlier The Gramophone Co. Ltd. had established a record factory in New South Wales, and in 1926 the first Australian record pressings went on sale in New Zealand.[3]

On Mr. E J Hyams retirement in 1930, The Gramophone Co. Ltd. of Hayes acquired all the shares of His Master's Voice (New Zealand) Limited and Mr. Alfred Wyness became Managing Director. [4]

 

The company first marketed British-made radios in 1933. Before this, however, they had sold American RCA Victor receivers under the HMV name from 1930. After 1933 they continued to sell American sets alongside British ones but were at pains to conceal the fact that not all sets marketed in this country were of British origin. From the middle to late 1930s unbranded RCA sets carried a transfer (decal) on the top of their cabinets worded: “Made for the Gramophone Company Ltd, Homebush, NSW.

As a result of the newly introduced import restrictions in 1938, HMV in common with other N.Z. importers was faced with the need to either establish their own factory or else arrange for a local manufacturer to make sets for them. They did both. In 1939 the first locally made receivers to carry the HMV label were produced at the company’s newly established Wellington factory. At the same time, some models were made by Collier & Beale Ltd.

Radiomobile car radios which had been introduced in the U.K. in 1946, were assembled here by HMV. One or two models, such as the 516AR, were completely made here.

These arrangements continued until the closure of HMV’s factory in 1957.[5]

By 1950, HMV had outgrown the old Hyams premises, and the company purchased the site of the Glide Skating Rink at 164-167 Wakefield Street, Wellington, now the site of the Amora Hotel.
In 1954 the new HMV record factory was opened at Hutt Road, Lower Hutt by Sir John Wall, Managing Director of EMI (UK). This modern factory, on a new site, marked the first step of a period of great expansion. The factory was the beginning of the EMI complex at Lower Hutt. The complex was completed with the opening of new recording studios.

Also, during the early 1960s, HMV expanded its manufacturing interests by purchasing shares in N.R. Cunningham Ltd., a Masterton-based company producing washing machines, refrigerators, and deep freezers. This involvement continued until 1973 when EMI sold these shares to Simpson Pope Industries and divorced itself totally from this type of product.

In keeping with a worldwide policy, on 1 May 1972, His Master's Voice (N.Z.) Ltd. changed its name to EMI (New Zealand) Limited. In 1973 the old His Master's Voice label was retired and replaced with the band new EMI label as part of a global rebranding. 

In February 1975, EMl’s head office moved to a new, specially designed building in Lower Hutt and in April of that year, the EMI record warehouse vacated the Wakefield Street premises and moved to the new Distribution Centre on the Hutt Road. In August 1976, the old Wakefield Street building which had housed EMI for 25 years was demolished.

Once the head office and warehouse move to Lower Hutt was completed, work began on the new recording studios to complete the EMI complex. Completed in August 1976, the studios offer the most modern recording facilities in the Southern Hemisphere. [1]

MODEL NUMBERING SYSTEM:

Between 1945 and 1954 this gave the year of issue - first two numerals followed by the number of valves and sometimes letters as follows:

  • A -distinguishes between two models having the same number of valves,
  • AR - car radio
  • AW - all wave
  • CRG - radiogram with autochanger,
  • D - dual wave
  • P - portable
  • RG - radiogram
  • RP - record player only
  • SB - bandspread on shortwave
  • T/RG - turntable with radiogram 

[1] Simon Grigg – Audioculture, the noisy library of New Zealand.
[2] Otago Daily Times 16 May 1924, Page 3.
[3] Evening Post 13 May 1926, Page 11.
[4] Evening Post 24 Apr 1930, Page 9.
[5] Golden Age of Radio in the Home

 

This manufacturer was suggested by Wolfgang Scheida.


Some models:
Country Year Name 1st Tube Notes
NZ  59 B594 UCH81   
NZ  66 16R4    
NZ  49 Little Nipper 495BC 7S7  HIS MASTER'S VOICE  manufactured by HMV (New Zealand) Ltd. Model 495BC  ie 495   49 &... 
NZ  46 Cadet 465 6K8GT  5 valve AC powered broadcast (MW) superhet mantel receiver. Tuning Frequency: MW 540-17... 
NZ  52 Little Nipper II 545 B/C 7S7  Original colour obviously white. Similar Products: - Little Nipper 495 BC (1949) ... 
NZ  58 Radiomobile 203 XD 6BA6  7-valve superhet car radio. Comprised of two units, a 4-valve tuner, and Power Amplifie... 
NZ  40 Midget 2V 12B8GT  TRF with 2 dual-purpose tubes giving 4 tube performance  Rola F4B speake... 
NZ  49 Cambridge 495P (Collier and Beale chassis) 1T4  5 valve AC/Battery portable superhet with RF stage. See also Pacemaker 519AB.  
NZ  37 472 6K7  8-valve, triple band, AC-powered, superhet with RF stage and magic eye tuning indicator. ... 
NZ  49 Canterbury 498AW 7B7  Canterbury 8 Valve All-Wave Radio We present for the listening public this stylish mant... 
NZ  49 Sherwood 4910AW (Collier and Beale chassis) 7B7  HMV Sherwood Bookcase Consolette. 
NZ  55 Radiomobile 22X ECH81  3-valve, manually tuned superhet car radio. HT from a non-synchronous vibrator and... 

[rmxhdet-en]

Further details for this manufacturer by the members (rmfiorg):

[2] Otago Daily Times 16 May 1924, Page 3. Image sourced from the National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past.tbn_nz_hmv_2_otago_daily_times_16_may_1924_page_3.jpg
[3] Evening Post 13 May 1926, Page 11. Image sourced from the National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past.tbn_nz_hmv_3_evening_post_3_may_1926_page_11.jpg
[4] Evening Post 24 Apr 1930, Page 9. Image sourced from the National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past.tbn_nz_hmv_4_evening_post_24_apr_1930_page_9.jpg
Assembling radios in 1944. Credit-Simon Grigg – Audioculture, the noisy library of New Zealand.tbn_nz_hmv_assembling_radios_in_1944.jpg
Waikato Independent 28 May 1935, Page 3. Image sourced from the National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past.tbn_nz_hmvnz_waikato_Independent_28_may1935_page_3.jpg
1936 HMV Models. Press 2 May 1936, Page 9. Image sourced from the National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past.tbn_nz_hmvnz_press_2_may_1936_page_9.jpg
Radiomobile Advert 1956. Press 4 Sep 1956, Page 8tbn_nz_hmv_press_4_sep_1956_page_8.jpg
tbn_nz_hmv_manuf_ad.jpg

  

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