Story: Waikato places

Sweetwaters music festival

A series of large music festivals, all called Sweetwaters, were held in Waikato and south Auckland in the 1980s and 1990s. The first, in 1980, was held at a farm near Ngāruawāhia. In this film clip Rick Steele sings ‘The ballad of Arthur Allan Thomas’, a song that was then banned from being played on the radio.

Using this item

TVNZ Television New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Waikato places - Ngāruawāhia', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/27288/sweetwaters-music-festival (accessed 21 April 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, updated 11 Jun 2015