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Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer

I te Ao o te Reo
By Witi Ihimaera Smiler
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Brief Description
Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Releases 14th May 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer

New Zealand’s leading Māori writer decides at eighty to go back and learn his own language – and write about it.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Māori.

This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year i te ao o te reo – of sinking and floating; of loss and shame, connection and wairua; of fathers and teachers, kuia and friends.

A riveting and revealing memoir, Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer sparkles with whaikōrero and whakataukī and is written for all – Māori and Pākehā, fluent reo Māori speakers and those for whom the language is still a mystery, a dream, an aspiration.

It is the story of a Māori New Zealander reclaiming his voice, history and whakapapa in contemporary Aotearoa. Of becoming Witi Ihimaera Smiler and drawing closer to his desire to write a novel in te reo for his beloved father Tom and his tīpuna.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781776712380

Publisher: Auckland University Press

Book cover type: Hardcover

Genre: Biography, Education

Language version: ENG- English

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 May 2026

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: Auckland University Press

Illustration: 14 colour illustrations (photographs)

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 228.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 340

Collections

2026 Writers Festival Biography & Memoir Festival New Zealand Writers Festival Non-Fiction Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies New Zealand and Australia Published New Zealand Biographies New Zealand Non-Fiction New Zealand Published Non-Fiction Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Witi Ihimaera Witi Ihimaera Smiler

About the Author

Witi Ihimaera Smiler DCNZM, QSM, was born in Gisborne and is of Te Whānau-a-Kai, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata and Ngāti Porou descent with connections to Tūhoe, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tāmanuhiri. Diplomat, professor and one of Aotearoa’s most distinguished living writers, his many books include Pounamu, Pounamu (1972), The Matriarch (1986) and The Whale Rider (1987), made into a hugely successful film in 2002 and also translated into te reo Māori by Tīmoti Kāretu. He has received numerous awards, including the Wattie Book of the Year, the Montana Book Award and a Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. In 2004 he became a Distinguished Companion of the Order of New Zealand and in 2017 France made him Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He is, today, recognised as one of the world’s leading contemporary indigenous authors and thinkers. He lives in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.

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