Sir Howard Morrison Tribute
This page documents the death and funeral of Sir Howard Morrison, one of New Zealand's best-loved and enduring entertainers.
Sir Howard died in his sleep at his home in Rotorua on Thursday 24 September. He was 74.
Born in Rotorua in 1935, Sir Howard was a member of Ngati Whakaue of Te Arawa.
An entertainer for five decades, he was also a pioneering social and cultural advocate for Maori. He was awarded the OBE in 1976 and knighted in 1990.
Nephew and actor Temuera Morrison said Sir Howard's health had been up and down but had improved in recent times, and his death has come as a shock.
Mr Morrison said his uncle was charismatic with an element of cheek. He was magical onstage - whether singing overseas or in a cultural performance with nieces, nephews and grandchildren alongside.
Sir Howard's cousin, Monty Morrison, said the death is a huge loss for the Te Arawa tribe but it would also be marked as a celebration of a life well spent.
Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters said Sir Howard was an active supporter of the community, an activist and philanthropist, and an appropriate way for the city to recognise his contribution will be found.
Sir Howard Morrison was laid to rest at Kauae cemetery near Rotorua.
Thousands of people have turned out to celebrate his life during a five-day tangi culminating in his funeral and burial on afternoon of Tuesday 29 September. The service combined Sir Howard's Maori and Pakeha heritage and was filled with music and song.
Sir Howard's casket was accompanied to the cemetery at Ngongotaha by close family and guided by about 15 warriors from the iwi Te Arawa.
He was buried among the family of his wife Lady Morrison, close to his own whanau's resting grounds.
Earlier, a funeral service was held at Te Papaiouru Marae in Rotorua, where parish minister the Reverend Tom Poata gave the sermon, describing Sir Howard as something of a hero who broke down boundaries between Maori and Pakeha.
Sir Howard's oldest daughter Donna Mariana Grant delivered the eulogy, saying she was proud to call him Dad, and recalled a man full of personality, charisma and the face of biculturalism.
"He saw every day as a day of opportunity to do something good, to be recognised for it, but also in his heart of hearts he was a man of great giving."
Representing the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said Sir Howard was a great New Zealander and will be remembered for turning the song Whakaaria mai, also known as How Great Thou Art, into a national icon.
Mr English said Sir Howard's rendition of the song at the 1981 Royal Variety Concert in the presence of the Queen created an extraordinary event.
"He took an ordinary hymn and weaved it into the cultural and spiritual life of our nation."
Mr English was speaking on behalf of Prime Minister John Key, who was overseas.
Others to attend the funeral included Sir Howard's great friend, opera singer Dame Malvina Major, who performed at the service.
Following the burial, mourners returned to the marae where a celebration of Sir Howard Morrison's life continued on into the night.
Audio
NB: The terms of use for this audio are at the bottom of this page.
- An audio picture from Sir Howard's funeral
- Yesterday, one of the greats of the New Zealand entertainment scene was finally laid to rest. (duration: 1′58″)
from Morning Report (30 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Thousands pay their final respects for Sir Howard Morrison
- Thousands of people have celebrated the life of Sir Howard Morrison at his funeral in Rotorua. (duration: 3′55″)
from Checkpoint (29 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Thousands gather to farewell Sir Howard Morrison
- Thousands of people have celebrated the life of Sir Howard Morrison at his funeral in Rotorua. (duration: 3′21″)
from Checkpoint (29 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison's Funeral
- It was standing room only at the Te Papaiouru Marae for the funeral of Sir Howard Morrison, who has been laid to rest in Ngongotaha. (duration: 7′35″)
from Afternoons (29 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- How the funeral will unfold
- Rosemary Rangitauira speaks to us from the site of Sir Howard's tangi. (duration: 2′14″)
from Morning Report (29 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Entertainers pay tribute to Sir Howard Morrison
- The solemn tangi for Sir Howard Morrison last night gave way to laughter and fun as the cream of this country's entertainers came out to perform in a tribute to the man described as the"Kaumatua of the entertainment industry". (duration: 4′01″)
from Morning Report (29 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison interview (Part 5)
- In 2002 reporter Caitlin Cherry interviewed Sir Howard Morrison about his life in music for RNZ's Musical Chairs profile series. Here is the source interview from that programme - presented in full for the first time. (duration: 8′14″)
from (28 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison interview (Part 4)
- In 2002 reporter Caitlin Cherry interviewed Sir Howard Morrison about his life in music for RNZ's Musical Chairs profile series. Here is the source interview from that programme - presented in full for the first time. (duration: 18′23″)
from (28 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison interview (Part 3)
- In 2002 reporter Caitlin Cherry interviewed Sir Howard Morrison about his life in music for RNZ's Musical Chairs profile series. Here is the source interview from that programme - presented in full for the first time. (duration: 21′07″)
from (28 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison interview (Part 2)
- In 2002 reporter Caitlin Cherry interviewed Sir Howard Morrison about his life in music for RNZ's Musical Chairs profile series. Here is the source interview from that programme - presented in full for the first time. (duration: 14′54″)
from (28 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison interview (Part 1)
- In 2002 reporter Caitlin Cherry interviewed Sir Howard Morrison about his life in music for RNZ's Musical Chairs profile series. Here is the source interview from that programme - presented in full for the first time. (duration: 22′28″)
from (28 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Heavens open as Sir Howard's tangi begins
- The heavens opened, a sign for Maori that the gods were looking down favourably, as the casket of Sir Howard Morrison was carried into the meeting house at the start of his tangi this morning. (duration: 3′49″)
from Checkpoint (25 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Tributes to New Zealand's Sinatra
- In the past 24 hours, there have been hundreds of people paying tribute to Howard Morrison. (duration: 4′15″)
from Morning Report (25 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard's body returns to his marae today
- A tangi will begin later this morning for the beloved entertainer Sir Howard Morrison who died yesterday aged 74. (duration: 3′33″)
from Morning Report (25 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Ray Columbus remembers Sir Howard Morrison
- The public will have a chance to farewell Sir Howard Morrison at a public tangi in Rotorua later today. (duration: 2′53″)
from Morning Report (25 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- A look back at Sir Howard's remarkable life
- Above and beyond his acclaimed stage career, Sir Howard also won respect as a cultural ambassador and advocate for Maori health, education and development. (duration: 4′41″)
from Checkpoint (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- MPs pay tribute to Sir Howard Morrison
- MPs have paid tribute to Sir Howard. (duration: 2′20″)
from Checkpoint (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Temuera Morrison remembers his uncle Howard
- Actor Temuera Morrison says his uncle's death has come as a shock, as his health had improved in recent times. (duration: 2′01″)
from Checkpoint (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Family members mourn loss of Sir Howard
- Matthew Farrell was in Sir Howard's hometown of Rotorua, and joins us from outside the Ohinemutu Marae. (duration: 1′41″)
from Checkpoint (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Surviving Howard Morrison Quartet member
- Wi Wharekura is the last surviving member of the Howard Morrison Quartet. He lives in Australia and says he got the news of Sir Howard's death early this morning. (duration: 5′54″)
from Checkpoint (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Music great, Sir Howard Morrison, dies
- He's called New Zealand's Greatest Entertainer. Today Sir Howard Morrison died at his home in Rotorua, aged 74. (duration: 1′35″)
from Checkpoint (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison
- The tributes are flowing for Sir Howard Morrison, who died this morning in Rotorua. (duration: 12′16″)
from Afternoons (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison Tribute
- Entertainer Sir Howard Morrison has died, Sir Howard, 74, who had a history of heart problems, died at his home in Rotorua. (duration: 11′10″)
from Nine to Noon (24 Sep 2009) - Download: MP3
- Sir Howard Morrison
- Reflects on 50 years in the entertainment industry. (duration: 19′37″)
from Sunday Morning with Chris Laidlaw (07 Dec 2008) - Download: MP3
- 2006
Sir Howard Morrison presents the fourth annual lecture in a series aimed at monitoring progress towards a truly celebratory national bicentenary in 2040. The title of his lecture is 'Seek Ye From The Fountain of Knowledge, So the People May Thrive and Prosper'.
(Replay Radio TBA)
(duration: 48′22″)
from Treaty of Waitangi (09 Feb 2006)- Download: MP3
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1935 - 2009
Musical career
Sir Howard was born in Rotorua in 1935, a member of Ngati Whakaue of Te Arawa.
He began putting together vocal groups to perform at rugby club socials in Rotorua in the mid-1950s and was a member of the successful Aotearoa Concert Party that toured Australia.
On his return to New Zealand, he formed a group with his brother, cousin and guitarist Gerry Merito, that became the Howard Morrison Quartet.
The Quartet, with various changes of line-up, worked in New Zealand and Australia, but when showman Harry Miller wanted them to work in Las Vegas and London, Howard Morrison was reluctant, believing such a move would destroy their family life.
By common consent, the Quartet split up in 1965 and, performed together only on occasional reunions. Sir Howard struck out on his own, in a hugely successful solo career.
He was awarded the OBE in 1976, and knighted in 1990.
In his 70s, Sir Howard continued to make recordings and perform live. He toured New Zealand with the opera singer Dame Malvina Major in a show titled A Knight With A Dame.
Support for young Maori
Sir Howard was educated at Rotorua Boys' High School and Te Aute College but left without gaining his School Certificate, having failed the compulsory English examination.
In his later years, he established the Sir Howard Morrison Education Foundation of Te Arawa Youth to support those embarking on university study and was a trustee of the Books In Homes organisation. Waikato University gave him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his service to the Maori community.
At the same time as conducting a successful singing career, Sir Howard became acutely aware of the lack of achievement by many young Maori, and was appointed as a consultant on youth development to the Ministry of Maori Affairs.
He visited schools to encourage Maori to move on to higher learning, developed education programmes on marae and in 1979 was appointed to a full-time position in the ministry as director of youth development.