Scotty Morrison has been recognised for his contribution to te reo Māori me ōna tikanga at the 2016 Matariki Awards.
The presenter of Māori current affairs programmes ‘Te Karere’ and ‘Marae Investigates’ won the Te Waitī Award for Te Reo & Tikanga tonight.
Morrison holds a Diploma of Teaching, Bachelor of Education and Masters degree (Education) from Waikato University, and is currently working towards his PhD at Massey University, writing his thesis about the use of te reo Māori in and in the evolution of Māori broadcasting.
He is the author of the bestselling ‘The Raupo Phrasebook of Modern Māori’ and in 2015 Scotty launched his second reo Māori book ‘Māori Made Easy’.
Morrison’s background in the media industry extends across all mediums including radio and documentary making. He has also acted in films and television dramas including a lead role in the Māori language version of Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’.
He was also one of the first graduates of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo - The Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language, through which he continues to teach in kura reo around the country.
Last year he was involved in establishing a full immersion and bilingual Māori unit at Westmere Primary School.