He uri a Ruth Smith nō Te Tairāwhiti whānui, engari i pakeke mai a ia ki te iwi o tōna koroua, ki a Ngāti Kōhuru o roto o Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki. He Ika-a-Whiro nō Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, he putanga hoki nō Te Toi Reo, kua roa e mahi ana hai kaiwhawhiti reo. Kua mahi a ia hai pouako reo Māori ki Toihoukura: School of Māori Visual Arts, ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa me Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Kua mahi hoki a ia hai kaipāpāho mā Whakaata Māori me ngā reo irirangi Māori. He kaihaka, he tonotono hoki a ia ki ōna iwi o te kāenga. E ngākaunui ana a ia ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, ā, e whai ana a ia kia whakatairangatia te reo mā roto mai i te whakaako, i te whakawhiti reo, i ngā mahi pāpāho me ngā mahi tohutohu. I tēnei wā e mahi ana a Ruth hai kaiwhakawhiti reo ki Te Pāremata o Aotearoa ki Pōneke.

Ruth Smith hails from the East Coast but was nurtured by her grandfather’s tribe of Ngāti Kōhuru, Te Aitanga-ā-Mahaki. She holds a bachelor’s degree in te reo Māori with first class honours from EIT. She is a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo Māori and is an experienced translator with a Te Toi Reo Māori licence. She has worked as a lecturer at Toihoukura: School of Māori Visual Arts, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Awanuiārangi. She has also worked as a broadcaster, presenter and commentator for Māori Television and Māori radio. She is a seasoned kapa haka performer and servant to her people. She is passionate about te reo Māori me ōna tikanga and strives to work to advance the language through teaching, translation, television work and consultancy. Ruth currently works as translator and interpreter for the House at New Zealand Parliament in Wellington.

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