Kua mū te reo rōreka o te kaiwhakangahau rongonui rawa atu o Aotearoa a Tā Howard Morrison.

I whānau mai a Tā Howard i te pā o Ōhinemutu i te tau 1935, ko tōna pāpā a Temuera Morrison he kaitākaro mō te kapa whutupōro Māori o Aotearoa. Ko tōna māmā a Kahu Morrison he manutīoriori hoki.

I pakeke ake a Howard Morrison i Rotorua. I kuraina ia ki Te Kāreti o Te Aute. I reira i tupu ai te kōingo nui ki ngā mahi whakangahau, kapa haka, waiata hoki.

I te tau 1955 ka tīmata a ia ki te whakatū i tētahi rōpū kaiwhakatangi waiata ki ngā hui whakawhanaunga o ngā karapu whutupōro o Rotorua.

I te tau 1956 ka whai tūranga ia ki roto i te tira kōnohete o Aotearoa me tā rātou haerenga ki Ahitereiria.

Nō muri mai i tana hokinga mai i reira ka haere ia ki tētahi hui a te whānau, ka tūpono atu ki a Gerry Merito, te kaiwhakatangi kitā. Nō konei ka whānau mai te pēne waiata a te Ohinemutu Quartet, i muri mai, ka huri te ingoa ki te Howard Morrison Quartet.

Ko tōna tuakana a Laurie Morrison me tōna whanaunga a John Morrison ētahi atu o ngā mema taketake ake o te pēne.

I ngā tau i muri mai ki ngā tau ono tekau, ka rongonuitia tēnei pēne otirā kua mōhio katoa a Aotearoa whānui ki ngā pukenga whakangahau, pukenga waiata hoki o ngā mema o tēnei pēne. E hia kē nei ngā kōnohete, ngā waiata me ngā haerenga ki te ao ki te whakangahau i te tini me te mano.

I rangona tō rātou reo i runga i ngā reo irirangi, ka kitea ki runga i ngā pouaka whakaata o te ao.

I rongonuitia a Tā Howard Morrison mō tana waiata i a Whakaaria Mai.

Nō te tau 1976 ka whakawhiwhia ia ki te tohu OBE a te Kuini o Ingarangi . Engari kāore i mutu i kōnei. He nui rawa ngā tohu me ngā whakanui i whakawhiwhia ki a ia i roto i ngā tau i muri mai.

Ka hou anō tōna rongo ki te motu whānui i te tau 1979. Ka tohua ia hei kaiwhakahaere matua i te kaupapa whakawhanake taiohi a te Tari Māori.

Ko ia tētahi o ngā kanohi mō te kaupapa a Tū Tangata. Ko tana mahi, he whakatenatena i te wairua auaha o ngā taiohi Māori kia whai rātou i ō rātou moemoeā.

I ngā tau 2000 ka whai mahi anō ki Te Puni Kōkiri. Ko tāna i taua wā ko te āwhina i te kaiwhakahaere ā rohe o Te Puni Kōkiri ki te whakatairanga i te whanaketanga ohanga o ngā hapori o Te Arawa.

I mahi hoki a ia i Tāmaki Makaurau ki te taha o Tā Barry Curtis ki te whakakotahi i ngā hapori Māori me ngā hapori o Niue i Manukau. “He tauira noa ēnei o te momo mahi i oti i a Tā Howard, i tua atu i te poipoi rangatahi ki ngā taumata whakangahau katoa o te ao,” hei tā te Manahautū o Te Puni Kōkiri a Leith Comer.

“Kua noho pani tātou katoa i tōna ngarohanga,” ko tāna anō. Hei tā Dr Tamati Reedy hēkeretari Māori o te Tari Māori i mua, “e Tā, e te Rangatira, moe mai rā i te moenga roa o te tini o te mano. E kore te reo o te kōkako-hua-taratara e rangona ā muri ake nei i Te Waonui a Tāne.”