Matt Klitscher
When Turia Schmidt-Peke pulled out of this year’s Te Matatini kapa haka festival to be part of Celebrity Treasure Island, her family was convinced she’d landed a role in a Marvel movie.
“Why not?” chuckles Turia. “Māori actors can do Marvel! Taika Waititi’s doing Marvel now.”
Her kapa haka team, Ngā Tūmanako, won in 2019, so her whānau and friends knew she wouldn’t miss the chance to defend the title for just any role.
“I told them I couldn’t do the competition because I had a job and it was confidential. Everyone assumed I was shooting a Marvel movie! Even when I told my family I wasn’t doing a Marvel film, they didn’t believe me. They were like, ‘She is – she’s just not telling us!'”
Turia says it’s been cool meeting the other CTI celebs, including James Mustapic.
Turia, who’s of Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Hauā and Samoan descent, says her family was still proud of her when they found out it was actually Treasure Island she was competing in, but as a huge Marvel and DC fan, she does hope a superhero role is in her future.
“That is absolutely my end goal,” she admits.
Although Turia’s a fan favourite in the gritty bilingual drama Ahikāroa, she didn’t set out to be an actress. She gained a Bachelor of Arts in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori, as well as a Bachelor of Communications in public relations, before starting work in production at Whakaata Māori (Māori Television).
In 2017, a colleague there told her they were looking to cast a young Māori woman who could speak te reo for a new drama series. “I went to the audition and got the role on the spot,” she tells.
“I’d never done any acting before, but it’s fun. It’s a lot like kapa haka. I think actors have one of the easiest jobs on set – the crew bust their arses. Coming from production, in acting, you’re in the golden seat.”
The star was offered the role of Geo on the spot when she auditioned for Ahikāroa.
She concedes her role as party-loving law student Geo in Ahikāroa has completely changed her life. “Acting was not even on the table for me. I’d have stayed in production forever. I would never have auditioned for anything not Māori as my first job!”
The multi-talented star has since starred as wayward Steph on Shortland Street: Retribution and briefly appeared on Shorty as well. She hopes that being on Treasure Island will introduce her to the mainstream audience and other potential job offers.
“I think it’s a good career opportunity for me,” she enthuses. “It’s also a great way to challenge myself mentally and physically. I’m turning 30 this year, so I thought it would be something cool to do before I get to that real adult stage. I try to think of myself as a youngster.”
Although she’s moving into a new phase of life, Turia has no plans for a wedding or kids in the immediate future.
The multi-talented star has since starred as wayward Steph on Shortland Street: Retribution and briefly appeared on Shorty as well.
“I’m currently single. On my birthday last year, my family told me to freeze my eggs. It’s kind of a good idea, but I think if it happens, it happens. I’m a big believer in fate.”
And while she’s still footloose and fancy-free, Turia hopes to get a chance to work overseas. “Everyone’s having kids and getting married and that’s not something I want to do in the next few years, so I think I need to get out there before I get frustrated!”
When Woman’s Day asks whether she’s got the skills to dig up Celebrity Treasure Island’s $100,000 prize, Turia’s not sure. “Hopefully I can make people laugh. I think morale counts a lot on this show, so you want to at least be able to laugh!
“Physically, I am fit, but I’m not the fittest. People get my skinniness mixed up with fitness. I’m more of a vanity workout person. I’m not doing the biggest weights – I’m just doing enough to get a perky bum!”
She doesn’t consider herself to be famous but says meeting the other celebrities on the cast was “pretty cool”. She was also blown away when she found out Tāme Iti was one of her teammates.
“I honestly fangirled when I saw him,” she enthuses. “All of Aotearoa knows he is such an icon – he is up there with the likes of Whina Cooper and Titewhai Harawira. It’s just so cool to meet him and learn from him.”
While she’s facing challenges and subsisting on beans and rice on CTI, Turia hopes she can raise some cash for her charity, Fonua Ola Network, which works with whānau and aiga to achieve better outcomes for Pasifika youth.
“It’s a great charity that you don’t hear a lot about, so I thought it was a cool chance to raise some awareness,” she says. “I grew up really strongly in my Māori side, so I wanted to give some love to my Samoan side.”
Celebrity Treasure Island screens 7.30pm Monday to Wednesday on TVNZ 2.
