Death notice, Southland Times, Invercargill, 10 June 2015:

Morton, Kevin David (Rev. Fr):
Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Dunedin. On 8 June 2015, after a short illness at Holy Name Presbytery, Dunedin, the day after the 41st anniversary of his ordination. Dearly loved son of the late Dave and Jean Morton. Loved brother of Stephen, Peter, Anne, and Barbara; and a loving brother-in-law and uncle. Brother of his fellow priests in the Dunedin and Auckland Dioceses. Kevin's Funeral Mass will be held at St Peter Chanel Church 242 Main South Road, Green Island, on Friday, June 12, at 1.00pm followed by interment in the Andersons Bay Cemetery. Rosary to be said at the Church on Thursday, June 11, at 5.00pm. Messages c/- 116B Gladstone Road, Mosgiel 9024.
Campbell and Sons F.D.A.N.Z.

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Fr Kevin Morton RIP, by Jan Adams, Lantern Flame: Aotearoa New Zealand Friends of Nano Newsletter, July 2015, p 3, https://www.presentationsistersnz.com/uploads/1/3/0/0/130051468/lantern_flame_3.pdf, accessed on 4 January 2026:

Associates of the Presentation Sisters lost a committed brother and friend with the passing of Fr Kevin Morton on June 8 in Dunedin. He will be missed by many but the memory of his ready smile, easy manner and strong faith will remain with family and friends in particular. Kevin seldom missed a Presentation gathering.

He was proud of being a first day pupil at St Peter Chanel School in Green Island and as a strong supporter of Catholic Education he was dedicated to his role as a founding member of the Nano Nagle Trust in 2009.

Throughout his childhood and beyond, Fr Kevin was prone to health glitches but was undeterred in his calling to become a priest.

Following ordination he served in several parishes including assistant at St Joseph's Cathedral in Dunedin, Lawrence, parish priest at Forbury, Dunedin, Riversdale in Northern Southland and Avondale, Auckland. He was also a Chaplain to the Catholic Pacific Island community in Dunedin where he made many lasting friendships. The mana with which he was held by these peoples, some who came from as far away as Auckland, was evident at the Requiem Mass held in St Peter Chanel Church on Friday, June 12, where a Samoan Choir paid tribute to him with a stirring Communion Hymn.

Fr Kevin loved rugby and was a longtime stalwart of the Green Island Rugby Club, serving as secretary for several years. His health was not always the best and it deteriorated further when about six months ago he was diagnosed with cancer. After a time in hospital he was most grateful to be cared for by Fr Mark Chamberlain and helpers at Holy Name Presbytery, Dunedin, where he died shortly after the 41st anniversary of his profession. He was in his mid-60s.

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Scale of abuse, suffering revealed, by Chris Morris, Otago Daily Times, Dunedin, 7 September 2018:

It started with one bad apple - a paedophile priest from Dunedin who abused four boys and was jailed for his crimes. But the story of Fr Magnus Murray’s crimes has opened the floodgates, releasing a torrent of torment and abuse held back for decades.

Now one big question remains: just how wide does this go? Chris Morris investigates. [...]

This week, ODT Insight has confirmed another paedophile priest from Dunedin, Fr Kevin Morton, was quietly stripped of his priestly faculties in 2002 after allegations of historic abuse emerged.

Fr Morton was alleged to have taken a teenage boy to Oamaru on an overnight trip in the 1970s, and then raped him.

A complaint in 2002 prompted the then-Dunedin Bishop Len Boyle to strip Fr Morton of his priestly faculties, but he did not defrock him.

It was the same sanction handed down to Fr Magnus Murray, who also remained a priest in retirement despite his conviction.

Dunedin Bishop the Most Rev Michael Dooley, asked about Fr Morton this week, confirmed the diocese had "full records" of the complaint and Fr Morton's punishment.

He would not elaborate, citing privacy, but Fr Morton was "dealt with through the approved complaints procedure".

Fr Morton has since died, but he and Fr Murray are not the only members of the clergy to fall from grace within the Dunedin diocese, which covers the bottom third of the South Island. [...]