Author+Profile

=**Witi Ihimaera **= = = Witi Ihimaera was interested in writing from an early age. He used to write stories on the wall of his room at the farm where he lived in Whakarau. In 1969 he began to write seriously. His first story was ‘The Liar’. He liked to write so that he could express his experiences of being Maori. Witi has a nephew (Gary Christie Lewis) who married Lady Davina Windsor. He was the first Maori to marry into the British Royal Family.
 * **Name:** Witi Ihimaera
 * **Date of birth:** 7 February 1944
 * **Place of birth:** Gisborne
 * **Now living in:** Auckland

Witi was the first Maori writer to publish a novel and a book of short stories. In 1972 his short stories Pounamu Pounamu placed third in the Wattie Book of the Year Award. In 1973 he won the Wattie Book of the Year Award for his book Tangi. In 1986 he got a Queen Service Medal for services to Maori Community and The Montana Book award for ‘The Matriarch’. Some of Witis other achievements are;
 * **1987 ** The Commonwealth Writers Prize runer up, //The Matriarch//
 * **1993 ** Katherine Mansfield Fellow, Menton, France
 * **1995 ** Montana Book Award for //Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies//
 * **2000 ** Became Professor of English and Distinguished Creative Fellow in Māori Literature, University of Auckland
 * **2002 ** //Whale Rider// - Peoples Choice Award, Toronto Film Festival, Canada
 * **2004 ** Began to rewrite first five books; Honorary Doctorate in Literature, Victoria University of Wellington; Distinguished Companion in the New Zealand Order of Merit
 * **2009 ** Te Tohutiketike a Te Waka Toi Award; Arts Foundation Laureate Award

Witi has many books that he has written they are:
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Novels **
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Tangi //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1973)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Whanau //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1974)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Matriarch //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1986)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Whale Rider //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1987)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1994)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Nights in the Gardens of Spain //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1995)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Dream Swimmer //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (1997)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Woman Far Walking //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2000)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Uncle's Story //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2000)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Sky Dancer //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2004)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Whanau II //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2004)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Rope of Man //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2005) - features 'Tangi', and its sequel 'The Return'
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Band of Angels //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2005)
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Trowenna Sea //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (2009
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Short story collections **
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">A Sense of Belonging //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Pounamu Pounamu //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The New Net Goes Fishing //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Growing Up Māori //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Yellow Brick Road //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Return To Oz //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Ask the Posts of the House //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Dustbins //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Whale //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Big Brother Little Sister //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The Escalator //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Gathering of the Whakapapa //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Clenched Fist //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Catching Up //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Passing Time //
 * //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Kingfisher Come Home //