Press Release
Friday, 27/6/08
Prominent New Zealand author, Witi Ihimaera, will visit Taiwan from 1-7 July. Witi Ihimaera’s first collection of short stories was published in 1972 and he has subsequently written more than a dozen novels and short story collections, as well as working as a playwright and opera librettist. He was born in Gisborne, New Zealand and now lives in Auckland, where he is professor of English at Auckland University.
Witi Ihimaera is best known in Taiwan for his novel ‘The Whale Rider’ - published here in 2006 - which won several awards including a media award for ‘Best Teenagers Book’.
‘Whale Rider’ was also made into a popular feature film and has been reproduced in more than twenty editions worldwide. The film has won a number of international awards, including the prestigious “People’s Choice Award” at the Toronto Film Festival 2002 and the 2003 Sundance Film Festival ‘World Cinema Audience Award’.
During his visit, Witi Ihimaera will participate in writers’ workshops and symposia in Taipei and Taichung, as well as introducing two special screenings of the film ‘Whale Rider’ (in Taipei on 2 July and Taichung on 4 July). Witi Ihimaera will also take part in book promotion events involving educators, story tellers, parents and children, due to take place in Taipei on 1 July (at the Taipei Public Library) and 5 July (at the Hsinyi Eslite Store).
This visit has been timed to coincide with the opening, in Taichung, of the Auckland Museum’s ‘Vaka Moana’ exhibition. ‘Vaka Moana’ will be on display at the Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, from 1 July to 19 October. The exhibition traces the migration of the early voyagers in Oceania. It provides an excellent showcase of their skills as explorers, navigators, boat-builders, fishers and craftspeople. The exhibition has a special connection with Taiwan, with the Austronesian journey having been described by anthropologists and historians as ‘the greatest human migration of all times’ - stretching out across the Pacific Ocean to reach Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand at its furthest points.
More information on the range of activities associated with Witi Ihimaera’s visit, the ‘Vaka Moana’ exhibition and the special film screenings of the “Whale Rider” is available at
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