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Stacey Morrison
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ

Stacey Morrison

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Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) 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.

Awards & recognition

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori Champion Award

Awarded  •  2016  •  Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori Champion Award

New Zealand Booklovers Awards

Winner  •  2022  •  NZ Booklovers Best Children's Book Award for Kia Kaha

More features

Video
Te arapu Maori with Stacey Morrison

A simple pronunciation guide to the Maori alphabet with Stacey Morrison from My First Words about Tikanga Maori. https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/my-first-words-about-tikanga-maori-9781776957064

Video
My First Words in Ma¯ori

Help your tamariki to korero Ma¯ori with this brilliant first words book by Stacey Morrison, gorgeously illustrated by Ali Teo and John O’Reilly. My First Words in Ma¯ori equips your whanau with the first words you need to speak te reo at home together. With lively pictures labelled in Ma¯ori and English, each page introduces the concepts and words children use as they first begin to talk, get to know people and explore the world around them. More info here: po.st/myfirstwords