Author Witi Ihimaera Smiler discusses the octopus (wheke) as a central symbol in Māori culture and philosophy, contrasting it with the hammerhead shark in traditional proverbs. He argues the octopus represents intelligence, family protection, and strategic thinking rather than cowardice, drawing on Polynesian mythology, Te Rangi Hīroa's voyaging model, and contemporary health frameworks to reclaim the wheke as a symbol of Māori resilience and intellectual power.