RodMorris
- Director
- Producer
Rod Morris has more than three decades experience as a wildlife photographer and filmmaker. After working on the quest to save the Chatham Island black robin, he joined TVNZ's Natural History Unit (now independent company NHNZ) in 1980. His name is found on more than 30 books, and his photography has helped spur generations of Kiwis to share his passion for the natural world.
Screenography
Biography
Auckland-born Rod Morris joined a naturalist's club while growing up in the Waikato. He would go on to look after leopards and puma, while working as a zookeeper at Auckland Zoo.
In 1970, Morris achieved his childhood dream of working at the NZ Wildlife Service; his long interest in islands, and island conservation can be dated from this time. Over the next six years he was involved in kākāpō searches in Fiordland, takahē recovery and efforts to save the Chatham Island black robin.
Awards
2019 Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For services to documentary filmmaking, natural history and conservation
“Rod has a rare ability to see greatness in small things, to imagine potential in detail. He weaves stories that are complex and layered, and he understands natural history in a way no other person of my acquaintance does.”