Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler (born 1944), generally known as Witi Ihimaera, is a New Zealand author, and is often regarded as the most prominent Maori writer alive today.

Ihimaera was born near Gisborne, a town in the east of New Zealand's North Island. He began to work as a diplomat at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and served at various diplomatic posts in Canberra, New York, and Washington, D.C. Ihimaera remained at the Ministry until 1989, although his time there was broken by several fellowships at Otago University and Victoria University of Wellington. In 1990, he took up a position at the University of Auckland.

Most of Ihimaera's work consists of short stories or novels. He has written a considerable number of stories, with the most notable being works such as Tangi, Pounamu, Pounamu, and The Whale Rider (the last of which became a film of the same name). His stories generally portray Maori culture in modern New Zealand. His work often focuses on problems within contemporary Maori society.

Internal links

• New Zealand literature

External links

• Maori-language biography, including list of works
• New Zealand Book Council biography
• Extensive bibliography from the New Zealand Literature File