Reported trends signal that current approaches to teaching writing are not working as well as they could to engage all students. This review of literature focuses on a culturally responsive ethos for the teaching of writing in Aotearoa New Zealand, incorporating information from over 80 publications from 2000 to 2020. The new understandings generated through this analysis are presented in three sections guided by Indigenous Maori concepts: whakapapa, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga. This review indicates all writing practitioners should teach in ways that honour identity, language, and culture as foundational strengths from which to build in the teaching and learning of writing. Finally, some directions for teacher education and classroom practices are proposed.