Pete Smith debuted with a GOFTA-winning performance in sci-fi classic The Quiet Earth. Smith found his acting calling after the experience of being welcomed onto the marae for his father's tangi. Keen to rediscover his ancestry and "a much better life", Smith joined a drama course run by mentor Don Selwyn. His extensive CV includes roles in TV dramas The Market, Greenstone, and Marlin Bay.
The dynamic for me was ‘what can I contribute?’ The whole community was contributing to the upbringing of my kids [and] I thought ‘let’s have a film company in Kaitaia. Let’s be the first ones'.
– Pete Smith, on launching company Puriri Productions with his partner Mona Papali’i