Matai Rangi Smith (born 2 May 1977) is a New Zealand television presenter.

Personal life

Matai was born and raised in

Gisborne, New Zealand Gisborne is a List of cities in New Zealand, city in northeastern New Zealand and the largest settlement in the Gisborne District (or Gisborne Region). It has a population of Gisborne District Council has its headquarters in the central city. ...

and later moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

when he began working in Television in 1996. He speaks fluent Te Reo Maori and is of

Rongowhakaata Rongowhakaata is a Māori iwi of the Gisborne region of New Zealand. Hapū and marae There are three primary ''hapū'' (subtribes) of Rongowhakaata today: Ngāti Kaipoho, Ngāi Tawhiri and Ngāti Maru. Ngāti Kaipoho Ngāti Kaipoho descend fr ...

Ngāi Tāmanuhiri Ngāi Tāmanuhiri is a Māori iwi of New Zealand and were formerly known by the name of Ngai Tahu, and Ngai Tahu-po respectively. They are descendants of Tahu-nui (also known as Tahu potiki, or Tahu matua) who is also the eponymous ancestor of ...

and

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi (tribe) located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes ...

descent. He is currently the General Manager for Iwi Radio station Tūranga FM and also hosts the Parakuihi show.

Career

Matai was first seen as a host on children's show '' Pukana'', an educational/variety show written entirely in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. He is better known as host of ''Korero Mai''TVNZ
Good Morning. and ''Whanau'', a drama series that teaches the Maori language to viewers. Matai has since hosted live karaoke show ''Homai Te Paki Paki'', as well as appearing as a regular host on ''

Good Morning "Good morning" is a common greeting in the English language. It may also refer to: Television * ''Good Morning!!!'' (Australian show), a children's show * ''Good Morning'' (New Zealand show), a daytime talk show * ''Good Morning'' (Russian ...

'' between 2007 and 2012. He is one of very few personalities who has worked for most of New Zealand's main national television networks, including

Māori Television Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...

and

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

Awards

In 2005, 2006 and 2007 Matai won Best Te Reo Māori Television Presenter (Male) at the

Māori Media Awards Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. Then in 2012, he won Best Presenter in the entertainment/factual category at the

2012 New Zealand Television Awards The 2012 New Zealand Television Awards were the new name of the New Zealand television industry awards, following the demise of the Aotearoa Film and Television Awards. The awards were held on Saturday 3 November at The Great Room of the Langh ...

for his work on ''Homai Te Paki Paki''.

References

External links

TVNZ - Personality Profile
1977 births Living people People from Gisborne, New Zealand New Zealand television presenters Ngāti Kahungunu people Rongowhakaata people New Zealand Māori broadcasters {{Māori-bio-stub