Witi Ihimaera

Biography

Witi Ihimaera has written thirteen novels, among them IThe Whale Rider/I in 1987, and six collections of short stories and works for children. His last novel was IThe Parihaka Woman/I in 2011, and IThe Thrill of Falling/I is his seventh short story collection. Ihimaera has also had careers in teaching, theatre, opera, film and television. His work was set to music by well-known contemporary musicians in IIhimaera /Icommissioned for the 2011 Auckland Arts Festival. His words for IKaitiaki,/I composed by Gareth Farr, were presented at a Beethoven concert by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in September of the same year. He has travelled extensively, most recently to festivals and conferences in Britain, Germany and New Caledonia. He lives in Auckland.