Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu)
Christchurch-born Stacey Morrison landed her first television role on children’s show What Now? while still at high school. She followed it with an extended run on Māori youth show Mai Time. Since then Morrison has worked in front of, and behind the camera, on a range of shows — from producing Sportscafe, to hosting (It’s in the Bag, Whānau Living). A keen exponent of te reo, she acted in Māori language drama Tiare (for 2002 series Aroha), and has written books on learning the language, some of them alongside her husband, Te Karere presenter Scotty Morrison. Her radio work includes announcing on Mai FM 88.6, Flava and The Hits.
“I believe New Zealand television is at its best when our cultural reality comes through — Kiwi culture, Māori culture and our developing modern culture. Let us not underestimate the inherent charm of our country and our people”. Stacey Morrison
Stacey is a radio and TV broadcaster whose projects have spanned 25 years. She is also a māmā to three tamariki who have been brought up with te reo Māori as their mother tongue. Stacey herself didn’t learn to speak Māori until she was an adult. It required a lot of research, determination, wonderful mentors and the support of a community to achieve her goal of becoming fluent by the time her children were born.
Stacey and her husband Scotty co-wrote Māori at Home to help other families use te reo in everyday settings, and Stacey’s first children’s book, My First Words in Māori, became a number-one bestseller. She has since co-authored Kia Kaha: A storybook of Māori who changed the world with Jeremy Sherlock, which won NZ Booklover’s Best Children’s Book and a Storylines Notable Non-fiction Award.
Both Stacey and Scotty work with many groups and families to build Māori-language friendships and community for whānau. Stacey has also been an advisor on pre-schooler and children’s TV shows, which, along with her experiences with her own children, has helped her identify the words children pick up early in their language learning. As a winner of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Champion Award in 2016, and the winner of Waipunarangi – Te Reo and Tikanga Award 2021, as well as a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (the Institute of Excellence in Māori Language), Stacey loves encouraging the learning and use of our country’s beautiful native language.
