When Witi Ihimaera was young, he realised that Māori people and stories were mostly invisible in the books he was reading at his New Zealand high school. In the decades since, he’s celebrated his culture and its rich history and literary traditions through his award-winning short stories, novels, memoirs, libretti and more. Today, he’s one of New Zealand’s most important and accomplished writers, and his work has resonated with audiences across the globe. His best-known book, the 1987 novel The Whale Rider, was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film in 2002.

In this intergenerational dialogue – which took place at the Brisbane Writers Festival in May 2023 and has been lightly edited and condensed – Ihimaera talks to Tongan-Australian writer Winnie Dunn about writing as an act of reclamation and recognition.