NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture: Wetewete te Wheke! Release the Kraken!

Opening the gates on literature

After a year of travelling internationally and nationally to celebrate his 50th year as a published writer, Witi Ihimaera returns to Wellington for his final event of the year — the annual NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture: Wetewete te Wheke! Release the Kraken! Opening the gates on literature in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Mātua Witi’s lecture will be followed by brief readings from four emerging writers, and then a supper and book signing, serenaded by live opera.

About the speaker

Witi Ihimaera is an influential figure in New Zealand literature. Over his long career, he has won numerous awards for fiction and non-fiction. Witi was the first Māori writer to publish a collection of short stories, Pounamu, Pounamu, in 1972, and the first to publish a novel, Tangi in 1973. His popular 1987 novel The Whale Rider has been read widely by children and adults both in New Zealand and overseas, and adapted into the critically acclaimed 2002 film.

Witi Ihimaera was Professor of English and Distinguished Creative Fellow in Māori Literature until 2010. His memoir, Māori Boy: A Memory of Childhood (2014) won the Ockham Book Award for non-fiction in 2015 and was followed by Native Son: The Writers Memoir. In 2017 Witi received a Prime Minister’s Award for fiction.

Witi Ihimaera’s work has been recognised by a Premio Ostana and a Chevalier Des Arts et Lettres. His work has been a set text in Africa and The Whale Rider is currently the subject of a Big Read at Gutenberg University, Germany and honoured text at the IRSCL Ecologies of Childhood Congress, USA, later this year.

RSVP for your spot

Seats are limited so we recommend that you register for a spot. Registrations will open on 28 September on the Verb Wellington website.  

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