About Dunedin Light and Derek Morrison

The philosophy behind the Dunedin Light weekly reports is simple: to show why this coastal city has won the hearts of all who live here. Dunedin Light is anchored in the surf beaches and is for everyone who has ever felt that white sand between their toes.

My first experience with Dunedin came during my tenure as the editor of New Zealand Surfing Magazine in 1998. I visited the city on the heels of another magazine trip to the ski fields of the South Island. Though I only had one wintry week here, I discovered an abundance of white sandy beaches, got to know a very cool crew of colourful locals and met a beautiful girl – local jewellery designer Rachael Sutton.

I had fallen in love with Dunedin’s charms and my southern girl. We moved to Sydney together with our work and married five years later. We always planned to return to New Zealand and Dunedin was the only city on the agenda for both of us.

It shone above all others in New Zealand because of its magnificent coastline and friendly locals. It’s a vibrant big city with a little city heart and a healthy dose of student zest. It was the perfect place to live our dream lifestyle and raise our family.

The Dunedin Light weekly reports are my way of capturing all those magical parts of our city. To shed light on the beaches teeming with wildlife, hidden coves harbouring perfect surf and those magical early morning and late afternoon light shows.

I hope the Dunedin Light weekly reports reach into every corner of the city and into the lives of Dunedin people living throughout the world. Please share them with your friends and family and anyone else you know with a connection to this great city.

And remember to smile when you see me down the beach!
– Derek

About Derek Morrison:

Age: 37 (25/05/1974)
Born: Putaruru
Lives: St Clair
Married to: Rachael with three children: Taya, Rewa and Keo
Professional photographer since: 1994
Magazine editor since: 1998
Equipment: Professional Canon camera bodies and lenses. Mac computers.
Five people I’d like to invite to a family dinner:
Dalai Lama (his happiness is infectious), Dave Rastovich (he has taken the green dream to a new level), Steve Jobs (he taught the world to innovate), Ted Grambeau (he’s one of the world’s best photographers) and Kiwi actor/comedian Mike Boon (because we’d need a few laughs).

Derek Morrison