Gerald Kereti Merito (16 August 1938 â 26 January 2009), was a New Zealand singer and guitarist, and one of the original members of the Howard Morrison Quartet.
Merito was born in 1938 in WhakatÃÂne on his family farm and was a Tuhoe tribe member.
In 1999, Merito received the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer.
He died aged 70, after playing at the Waihau Hotel. Merito has two sons, Daniel and Ben with his wife Dorothy Ohlson.