The tūpāpāku of actor Pete Smith was welcomed back today to his ancestral home of Manukau, 22km south of Kaitaia in the Far North.
He is remembered by many for his role in some of New Zealand's biggest movies including Once Were Warriors and The Piano. But friend and actress Ngawai Herewini remembers the larger-than-life personality, his humour, and wit.
“Koina māua e hurō ana ki te kata i etahi wā mo ā māua mahi i ētahi tāima ko māua i mua i ngā kāmera, e ako ana i a maua rārangi e tū ana e whakaatu ana i te kanohi o tētahi atu”
“We'd always be loud, we'd laugh at each other's back when we were both in front of the screen, learning our lines - standing before the cameras trying to portray someone else.”
“Pete, te tungane, to kanohi katakata to ngawari, to aroha to hatekehi hoki. Kore koe e warewaretia e Pete”
“Pete, brother, your smiley face, your softness, your love, your humour - you will never be forgotten,” she said.
A people's man
His sister, Rohe Smith, saddened by the death of her brother said he was so much more than an actor.
“He was a good brother, he was a people's man he was lovely to everybody. I heard a few stories yesterday. Some people said, 'We just moved into the district, and who was the first person to greet us? Your brother'."
Waihoroi Shortland, another acting colleague, says Smith may have achieved more success in his career if it hadn't been for his Māori features.
“Kahore i rerekē ake te āhua, kāhore i whaka-amerikana i a māua, kāhore i hiahia kia rite māua ki ētahi atu mea rongonui o tēnei momo mahi. Tēnā pea nā tērā i kore māua i tae ki ngā taumata o te ao rawa pērā i a Cliff Curtis, i ngā iwi i pukumahi ki te ako i te mahi.
“He didn't change his look. We didn't conform to the American look or that of more famous actors. That may be why we never became as well-known as Cliff Curtis and those who worked at perfecting the craft”.
Smith spent the past seven years battling kidney disease and died at his home surrounded by his whānau in Takahue on Saturday. He is survived by his wife Mona Papali’i and six children.
Tomorrow his body will be buried at Peteere Cemetery, Manukau in the Far North following a service at Manukau Marae.
No reira e kara, e Pita, kia au te moe.
