Sir Howard lost his fight for life on Thursday 24 September 2009, a bleak spring day that saw Rotorua city besieged by violent rain. Thousands of people are expected to gather in the city over the next few days to pay their last respects to the legendary entertainer.
Sir Howard’s Body will Lie in State on Te Papaiouru Marae, Ohinemutu
Sir Howard’s casket will be taken on a loop through the city before being taken to his family marae at Ohinemutu. Here, Sir Howard will lie in state at Tamatekapua, the premier meeting house of Te Arawa for the duration of the tangihanga (mourning ceremony). On Tuesday 29 September Sir Howard will be laid to rest at Kaue Cemetery, Ngongataha. The NZ Army has been called in to assist with preparations for feeding and hosting the many people expected to converge on the the tiny lakeside settlement of Ohinemutu to farewell Sir Howard.
With a career spanning more than 50 years, Sir Howard provided a unique Maori voice and was a great ambassador for New Zealand music. His nephew, actor Temuera Morrison acting as the family spokesman, said that Sir Howard would have been pleased to have been in his own home in the beautiful village of Ohinemutu when he died. Sir Howard had the ability to see celebration in all things said Temuera Morrison on TVNZ, and his farewell would be “a huge celebration of a great life.”
Tributes to Sir Howard Morrison
Internationally acclaimed divas Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Malvina Major, who had each performed with Sir Howard, praised him for his magnificent tenor voice, his talent, his ability to connect with his audience, his exuberance and engaging personality.
“For Te Arawa to have one of its own knighted is a huge honour, and Te Arawa would want to respond,” said Sir Howard’s cousin Monty Morrison in the NZ Herald, September 25, 2009.
NZ Prime Minister, John Key, speaking from New York, said that Sir Howard was a New Zealand success story. His contribution was immense and his appeal spanned every age group, said Mr Key.
Sir Howard Morrison Background
Howard Morrison was born in Rotorua in 1935, and brought up there and in the remote village of Ruatahuna in the Urewera. Educated at Te Aute College and Rotorua High School, he worked as a storeman in the freezing works before launching his entertainment career with the Howard Morrison Quartet, New Zealand's first full-time professional entertainers.
A solo career followed, with years spent touring Asia and the South Pacific where his performances for Trade Commissioners spearheaded New Zealand exports. Among many awards Sir Howard won NZ Entertainer of the Year in 1966 and HMV Entertainer of the year in 1986. While maintaining his place in the the entertainment spotlight Sir Howard also worked as a youth advisor for NZ Maori Affairs, served as a Trustee on the Books in Homes initiative and was a patron of Victim Support. Knighted in 1990, Sir Howard’s ‘Ride for Life’, when he rode the length of New Zealand on his horse Nero, raised $1.5 million for youth education.
Sir Howard’s 1980s performance of ‘How Great Thou Art’ for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at a Royal Command Performance was one of the defining moments of his career, when he claimed the song for his own and made it a Kiwi Classic.
Sir Howard is survived by his wife Lady Kuia, daughter Donna and two sons, Howard Junior and Richard.
Today, September 25, 2009, as Sir Howard’s tangihanga begins, rain continues to fall on Rotorua. Rest in Peace, Sir Howard.
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