Kiwi radio veteran Dom Harvey has announced he's leaving The Edge after 21 years on air.
Announcing the news on-air on Wednesday morning, Harvey said it had been an "ongoing conversation for the last couple of years", but had decided to make the move before his co-host Megan Annear, goes on maternity leave.
"We were working towards the end of this year, but the timing just feels right now. Because at the end of this year Meg is going on maternity leave, so it gives us half a year to find someone else to work with you guys, Meg and [Clinton] Randell, and establish a new show," he said.
Harvey said the decision felt "like a breakup", and compared it to when his ex-wife Jay-Jay Feeney decided to leave.
"I always thought I'd know when the right time to leave is, because I saw this with Jay-Jay - she was on the show for many years, and by the end of it, she'd had enough. But I'd never reached that point.
"I love this station and the people who work here so much…I just have to do it and rip the bandaid off."
Harvey followed up the announcement with an Instagram post, where he paid credit to his co-hosts, including Annear and Clinton Randell.
"When I started in 2001 we were a fledgling station based in Hamilton with 300,000 listeners. A couple of weeks ago the radio ratings show we have 631,000. To leave the place in a better place than when I started is, I reckon, a good way to go," he wrote.
Harvey said he planned to take the rest of the year off "to do some selfish stuff".
"Work on my mental health, achieve some fitness goals while I'm still young enough, do some writing, stay up past 9pm on weeknights, wake up without an early alarm, be more present with my nieces and nephew, have dinners with friends on weeknights, be in conversations without wondering how I can use my friends' stories for radio content," he listed.
"But mainly it's the sleep - I cannot tell you how excited I am to not be in a permanent state of tiredness."
Friends and fans took to the comments to pay tribute to Havey's time on-air, including former co-hosts Mike Puru and ex-wife Jay-Jay Feeney
"Twenty incredible years. A great innings! You have shaped The Edge and you should be proud of the impact you have had. Change is terrifying but it's also refreshing. Bigger things are coming for you," wrote Feeney.
"You are gonna love those sleep-ins Dom! You showed me what you have to do to be a successful breakfast show - your daily notes, hard work and creativity were a gift to the Edge and to the listeners … can't wait to hang more," wrote Puru.
"It really is the end of an era - what a ride - proud to be part of it Enjoy the next few days."
Harvey's last show will be Friday, July 30, according to a statement on The Edge website.
