Having an old television is usually nothing to brag about but Peter Devine is hoping he's got his hands on the oldest.
The search is on the for the country's oldest telly as part of a campaign by Going Digital to raise awareness of the switchover to digital television, which will start next year and take place in the Waikato in November 2013.
Going Digital is a government department-run website promoting the move.
People are rummaging through garages, wardrobes, sheds and attics to dig out the dustiest working "box" they can find.
Community adviser for the Waikato region Andrew Baillie said there had already been some intriguing entries from the region, including Mr Devine's old Philips which he bought in 1973.
He reckoned it cost him a couple of hundred dollars from West End Radios in Te Awamutu but he didn't get a lot of time to watch it because he worked so much at the local dairy company.
The slider controls, cumbersome buttons and wooden back give it away as a bit of a relic but the picture is surprisingly clear.
Mr Devine reminisced about watching Lone Ranger, Country Calender and his favourite – Coronation St on the old television set, but his feelings about the box were not clouded by nostalgia.
"It's bloody heavy to carry and I've taken it all over the place with me," he said.
"I tried to give it to a friend but they didn't want it."
Households that have Freeview or Sky installed are already watching digital TV but other viewers do not need to buy a new television to make the switch.
They may need to buy a set-top box and possibly a new aerial or satellite dish depending on what equipment they currently have and where they live.
Not that Mr Devine has to worry.
As he shows the Waikato Times into his lounge there's a sleek flat-screen television in the corner.
Those who think they may have New Zealand's oldest working TV should log on to goingdigital.co.nz/oldesttelly or call 0800838800 for an entry form.
The winner of the competition will receive a home theatre system with a 46-inch Sony television with in-built Freeview receiver and internet video.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/4960077/Search-begins-to-find-oldest-TV-set/
