Smith grew up with his grandmother in the Wairarapa region. He received a scholarship to a private boarding school in Auckland, which led to university and a teaching career.[1]
In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Smith was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and education.[5] In March 2021, Smith was made a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, recognising his "research and practice have been foundational to the development of Kaupapa Māori theorizing and 'transforming praxis'".[6]