Howie Jnr to show 'family side' of famous dad (+video)

Howie Morrison Jnr is to launch a single in memory of his famous father Sir Howard Morrison, before returning to TV screens with a new series of Hunting Aotearoa

The song, If I Could Change My Life with Waatea Productions, will be released at the end of this month.

Morrison Jnr said he co-wrote it with Russell Harrison in 2010 and sung it with his trio, but has decided to launch it properly.

The single, dedicated to the late Sir Howard, is also being released on DVD, and is based on "more the family side of my father that people didn't know about", Morrison Jnr said.

Harrison and Chris Powley also sing on it.

Following this is the relaunch of a new Hunting Aotearoa series on May 18 on Choice TV, with Morrison Jnr as the presenter.

"Hunting and fishing was a big part of our growing up," he told the Rotorua Daily Post.

He said that was something he had carried on through the years and handed down to his nephews and friends.

The whole purpose of it was "putting food on other people's tables", he said.

Morrison Jnr said he was excited about reuniting with his cousin Richard Curtis, and "the old whanau" from Hikoi Productions.

Locations in the new series include Niue and Fiordland, which was one extreme to another, he said. They travelled to Niue for 10 days where the crew got on average eight to 10 hornet stings a day in the 40C heat, as well as dealing with mosquitoes and flies, he said.

"I can honestly say I drank more water in 10 days than I have in a whole year."

They also spent 10 days in Fiordland, with the cold, wind and rain, he said.

He said they flew a native Canadian hunting guide in to hunt with them. He found the terrain similar but did not have the usual threat of cougars or brown bears hunting him too.

Morrison Jnr said he was keen to reconnect with hunters of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. He said every hunter had their own story to tell.