Sir Howard Leslie Morrison (18 August 1935 – 24 September 2009) was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009, he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers. Morrison was also known for his active support for Māori youth.

Early life

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

(

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori people, Māori iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plent ...

), Irish, and Scottish descent, Morrison was born to Temuera Leslie Morrison, a Māori All Black who worked for the Māori Affairs Department, and Kahurangi Morrison (née Gertrude Harete Davidson) who was known for her work in culture and entertainment. Morrison grew up in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

and in Ruatahuna near Waikaremoana. He attended a "native school" in the

Urewera Te Urewera is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand, located inland between the Bay of Plenty and Hawke Bay. Te Urewera is the ''rohe'' (historical home) of Tūhoe, a Māori iwi ...

before going to

Te Aute College Te Aute College (Māori language, Māori: Te Kura o Te Aute) is a school in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. It opened in 1854 with twelve pupils under Samuel Williams (missionary), Samuel Williams, an Anglicanism, Anglican missionary, and ...

and

Rotorua Boys' High School Rotorua Boys' High School (RBHS) is a state school educating boys from Year 9 to Year 13. It is situated just outside the Rotorua CBD at the intersection of Old Taupo Road and Pukuatua Street in Rotorua, New Zealand. The school is governed by ...

. After leaving school he had a variety of manual jobs including survey chainman, electricity meter reader and storeman at the Whakatu freezing works.

Family

Morrison and his three surviving sisters, Judy Tapsell, Rene Mitchell and Linda Morrison, lost their oldest brother Laurie in 1974. Another brother, Charlie, died in infancy and youngest sister Atareta Maxwell died suddenly in January 2007 from a heart attack. Their mother Kahurangi died in 1995, and their father Temuera when they were young.

Career

In 1955, Morrison assembled vocal groups to entertain at Rotorua rugby club socials, and the following year, won the 1956 Rotorua Soundshell Talent Quest with the original

Howard Morrison Quartet The Howard Morrison Quartet (originally named the Ohinemutu Quartet) was a New Zealand band during the 1950s and early 1960s. The band was formed by Sir Howard Morrison and included Gerry Merito, Wi Wharekura and Noel Kingi. In 1955, while wor ...

members and their extended

whānau Whānau () is the Māori word for the basic extended family group. Within Māori society the ''whānau'' encompasses three or four generations and forms the political unit below the levels of hapū (subtribe), iwi (tribe or nation) and waka (mi ...

, leading him to decide to pursue music as a career.'Maori warriors lead Sir Howard Morrison's whānau'
''

Stuff (website) Stuff is a New Zealand news media website owned by newspaper conglomerate Stuff Ltd (formerly called Fairfax). As of early 2024, it is the most popular news website in New Zealand, with a monthly unique audience of more than 2 million. Stu ...

''. In the same year, Morrison was a member of the successful

Aotearoa ''Aotearoa'' () is the Māori name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country being referred to as ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' – where ''Te Ika-a-Māui'' means N ...

Concert Party that toured Australia. In this group was

Gerry Merito Gerald Kereti Merito (August 16, 1938 – January 26,2009), was a New Zealand singer and guitarist, and one of the original members of the Howard Morrison Quartet. Merito was born in 1938 in Whakatāne on his family farm and was a Tuhoe tribe m ...

who with Morrison formed the Ohinemutu Quartet which was later renamed "Howard Morrison Quartet". Other original members of the quartet were Morrison's brother Laurie and his cousin John, but they left and were replaced by Wi Wharekura and Noel Kingi who were fixtures in the quartet at its heights. In 1966 he appeared in the John O'Shea film

Don't Let It Get You ''Don't Let It Get You'' is a film made in New Zealand and Sydney, Australia in 1966. It is notable for the period it was made in as well as the popular musical acts that featured in it. Sir Howard Morrison, Eddie Low, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and H ...

. From 1977 to 1989 he was spokesman, often with Ray Woolf for Bic products such as lighters and pens, appearing in many television commercials for the brand. Following Morrison’s

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

for Queen Elizabeth II in 1981, the hymn "

How Great Thou Art "How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine f ...

" (''Whakaaria Mai'') became his ''de facto'' theme song for the latter part of his career, after a recording of it by Morrison became one of the country's biggest selling singles, spending five weeks at No 1 on the New Zealand charts.Howard Morrison - ''How Great Thou Art''

History of New Zealand The human history of New Zealand can be dated back to between 1320 and 1350 CE, when the main settlement period started, after it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture. Like other Pacific cultures, M ...

. ''nzhistory.govt.nz'' official site. From 1970 to 1983, Morrison hired as his musical director, Wayne Senior whose orchestral arrangement of "How Great Thou Art" featured in the 'Howard Morrison Special' concert he conducted at Founders Theatre in 1982. In the same year, Morrison toured New Zealand with his 5-piece Rotorua Māori showband led by bassist Bundy Waitai, that included

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

keyboards player Derek Williams, jocularly dubbed 'Albino Māori' by Morrison.

''Tu Tangata''

Morrison was a consultant on

youth development Positive youth development (PYD) programs are designed to optimize youth developmental progress. This is sought through a positivistic approach that emphasizes the inherent potential, strengths, and capabilities youth hold. PYD differs from other ...

for

Te Puni Kōkiri Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK, also called in English the Ministry of Māori Development) is the principal policy advisor of the Government of New Zealand on Māori people, Māori wellbeing and development. Te Puni Kōkiri was established under the Māor ...

(Department Of Maori Affairs) and used his profile to improve self esteem, promote achievement and encourage participation in higher levels of learning by young Māori, visiting many schools in the process. He developed

wānanga In the education in New Zealand, education system of New Zealand, a wānanga is a state sector organisations in New Zealand, publicly-owned Tertiary education, tertiary institution or Māori people, Māori university that provides education in a ...

(education programmes) on

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

and used his entertainment skills to promote the ''Tu Tangata'', or ‘Stand Tall’ programme. Morrison’s nationwide ''Tu Tangata'' tour in 1979 brought the Quartet together again, with

Toni Williams Henry Anthony Williams (28 May 1939 – 1 October 2016), known professionally as Toni Williams or Antoni Williams, was a Cook Island-born New Zealand pop singer, who began singing at the Gandhi Hall in Auckland City where he became a local ...

replacing Wi Wharekura, and the Morrison family, including Howard's mother, Kahu, joining the tour.

Honours and achievements

Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre 157

In 1970, he received the

Benny Award The Benny Award is bestowed on a New Zealand variety entertainer. It is presented annually by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, a non-for-profit organisation and showbusiness club, founded in 1966 and awarded to a variety performer who h ...

from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc. Morrison's profile in the Pacific Rim area was used by the New Zealand Trade Commission to help promote the region. As a result, in the

1976 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1976 to celebra ...

, Morrison was appointed an officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to entertainment, and he was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours, also for services to entertainment. In March 2006, Morrison was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

by the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

, joining such alumni as

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She is internationally renowned for her work, which includes novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous award ...

, Dame

Malvina Major Dame Malvina Lorraine Major (born 28 January 1943) is a New Zealand opera soprano. Early life and family Major was born in Hamilton on 28 January 1943, the daughter of Vincent and Eva Major. She grew up in a large musical family, and as a chil ...

, Hare Puke, Tui Adams, Dame

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...

Neil Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. As a surname ...

and

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songw ...

, Michael King,

Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy (21 March 1936 – 23 July 2012) was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growi ...

and Rotorua historian Don Stafford in receiving the award. At the 2007

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...

Te Waka Toi awards The Te Waka Toi awards are the premier awards in the field of ''ngā toi Māori'' ( Māori arts). They have been awarded by Creative New Zealand and predecessors since 1986. The awards recognise ''tohunga'' (skilled people), artists and community ...

Morrison received the Te Tohu Tiketike a Te Waka Toi Award for Maori Artists. On 14 October 2009, Morrison was selected by

to be a part of its ''1st XV leaders group'' at a function at

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa (Māori language, Māori for 'Waka huia, the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the Nation ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. The honour is given to former pupils over the age of 55 who have made a significant contribution to Māori society. Morrison attended Te Aute College from 1949 to 1952.

Other awards

* 1966 Entertainer of the Year * 1982

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

, Golden Microphone * 1983 Feltex Awards (New Zealand) Best Television Entertainer * 1986 Nominated for Best Performer in an Entertainment Programme: for ''Now is the Hour'' - HMV Entertainer of the Year * 1994 New Zealand Film and Television Award for the Best Entertainment Programme for ''Howard Morrison: Now Is The Hour''

Death

Morrison died in his sleep from a heart attack and was found by one of his grandchildren on taking him his morning cup of tea. He died in

Ohinemutu Ohinemutu is a suburb in Rotorua, New Zealand. It includes a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Demographics The statistical area of Kuirau, which corresponds to Ohinemutu, covers and had an estimated population o ...

and lay in state in

Tamatekapua In Māori tradition of New Zealand, Tama-te-kapua, also spelt Tamatekapua and Tama-te-Kapua and also known as Tama, was the captain of the '' Arawa'' canoe which came to New Zealand from Polynesia in about 1350. A trickster, his theft of fruit ...

, the premier meeting house of

Te Papaiouru Marae Te Papaiouru is a marae at Ohinemutu, Rotorua, New Zealand. It is the home marae of the Ngāti Whakaue subtribes Ngāti Tae-o-Tū and Ngāti Tūnohopū. The marae's carved wharenui (meeting house), Tamatekapua, is named after Tama-te-kapua, the c ...

in Rotorua. He was survived by his wife Rangiwhata Ann Manahi (born 1937, married 1957) known as Lady Kuia, two sons and a daughter Donna Mariana Grant, Richard Te Tau Morrison and Howard Morrison Jr. He was also uncle to movie actor

Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The M ...

and kapa haka performer Taini Morrison. Attendees at his

tangihanga , or more commonly, , is a traditional funeral rite practised by the Māori people of New Zealand. were traditionally held on , and are still strongly associated with the tribal grounds, but are now also held at homes and funeral parlours. Wh ...

(funeral) included Rotorua mayor Kevin Winter, Chinese ambassador Zhang Limin,

Sir Michael Fay Sir Humphrey Michael Gerard Fay (born 10 April 1949) is a New Zealand merchant banker and partner in the merchant bank Fay Richwhite. He is one of the ten richest men in New Zealand. His personal wealth was largely acquired during the late 1980s ...

, MPs

Tariana Turia Dame Tariana Turia (née Woon; 8 April 1944 – 3 January 2025) was a New Zealand Māori protest movement, Māori rights activist and politician. She was first elected to New Zealand Parliament, Parliament in 1996 as a representative of the Ne ...

, Georgina te Heuheu,

Hekia Parata Patricia Hekia Parata (born 1 November 1958) is a former New Zealand public servant, diplomat, and politician. After a career as a senior public servant, Parata was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing the Nationa ...

Steve Chadwick Stephanie Anne "Steve" Chadwick (née Frizzell, born 15 December 1948) is a New Zealand politician. She served as mayor of Rotorua from 2013 to 2022. She previously held the positions of Minister of Conservation, Women's Affairs, and Associat ...

and Rotorua MP

Todd McClay Todd Michael McClay (born 22 November 1968) is a New Zealand politician and former ambassador. He is the Member of Parliament for Rotorua. He was previously an ambassador for the Cook Islands and Niue to the European Union. Early life McClay ...

, then former MP

Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He has led the political party New Zealand First since he founded it in 1993, and since November 2023 has served as the 25th Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), ...

, Te Puni Kokiri chief executive Leith Comer and

Māori king Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

Tūheitia Paki Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII GCCT KStJ KCLJ (born Tūheitia Paki; 21 April 1955 – 30 August 2024), crowned as Kīngi Tūheitia, reigned as the Māori King from 2006 until his death in 2024. He was the eldest son of the previous Mā ...

. Morrison was buried at Kauae Cemetery in

Ngongotahā Ngongotahā is a small settlement on the western shores of Lake Rotorua in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located northwest of the Rotorua central business district, and is considered as a suburb of Rotorua. It is part of the Rotorua ...

, Rotorua. His grave lies alongside those of his parents and other close

Discography

The Howard Morrison Quartet

Singles

;Released on

Zodiac Records Zodiac Records has been the name of at least six different record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the ...

* "Po Kare Kare Ana" (1959) * "Hawaiian Cowboy Song" (1960) ;Released on La Gloria Records * "

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is a folk song written by American singer-songwriter Pete Seeger in 1955. Inspired lyrically by the traditional Cossack folk song "Koloda-Duda", Seeger borrowed an Irish melody for the music, and published the ...

" (1961) * "George, the Wilder N.Z. Boy" (1964) ;Released on unknown label * "Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art)" (1981)

Albums and EPs

;Released on Zodiac Records * ''4 – The Fabulous Howard Morrison Quartet'' EP (1960) * "The Battle of the Waikato" (1960) ;Released on La Gloria Records * ''Four Popular Maori Songs Volume One'' (1960) * ''Pot-Pourri'' (1960) * ''On Stage – Off Stage'' (1960) * ''These Were Their Finest'' (1960) * ''Maori Songs'' (1962) * ''Alive! Need We Say More?'' (1962) * ''Hits of the Road'' (1962) * ''Mind If We Sing?'' (1962) * ''Laugh Along'' EP (1964) * ''Take Ten'' (1967) * ''Born Free'' (1968) * ''Power Game'' (1969) * ''Return of a Legend: Joe Brown'' (1975) * ''Morrison Magic'' (1979)

Solo

Studio albums

Other albums

* ''Howard Morrison'' (1982) * ''Songs of New Zealand'' (1985) * ''Give Your Love – On Stage Off Stage'' (1998) * ''This Is My Life'' (2009)

Video

* ''Once in a Lifetime: He kotuku rerenga tahi'' (DVD, 2009)

References

External links

Biography at Music.net.nz

Biography on NZHistory.net.nz
* A number of full-length documentaries featuring Howard Morrison are available online from NZ On Screen includin
This Is Your Life – Sir Howard Morrison (1989)
* Pickmere, Arnold. (24 September 2009)
''Sir Howard Morrison's obituary''
''

New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand ...

''.
Howard Morrison
- ''

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Howard 1935 births 2009 deaths

Howard Morrison Sir Howard Leslie Morrison (18 August 1935 – 24 September 2009) was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009, he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers. Morrison was also known for his active ...

New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand people of Scottish descent Singers awarded knighthoods New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Rotorua People educated at Te Aute College People educated at Rotorua Boys' High School Te Arawa people Zodiac Records (New Zealand) artists New Zealand Māori musicians New Zealand Māori male singers 20th-century New Zealand male singers