![\"Miriama](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/miriama-smith-with-her-fictional-dead-ahead-family-GPQ3UQJTJNDO7NDNIQWDM42J5I.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen it comes to local TV, Miriama Smith has been in some biggies \u2013 from Xena: Warrior Princess to Shortland St, Filthy Rich and many more. Now she returns for a second season of the uniquely Kiwi comedy-drama Dead Ahead, playing Kiri Wharekoa, a high-powered M\u0101ori lawyer who, like Smith, operates between English and te reo. The veteran actor, who’s also a marriage celebrant, yogi and mother, somehow found time to face a 1News Grill. <\/p>\n
Which five words best describe you as a teenager?<\/p>\n
Rebellious, sporty, cheeky, adventurous, curious. <\/p>\n
What will be top of mind when you go to vote this November?<\/p>\n
Socioeconomic equality, climate justice, upholding the values of Te Tiriti.<\/p>\n
What’s one powerful phrase in te reo that you’d love every New Zealander to know?<\/p>\n
M\u0101 te aroha, ka taea \u2013 when we lead with love and compassion, anything is possible.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Miriama Smith with her fictional Dead Ahead family. (Source: TVNZ)<\/p>\n
What’s one personal trait of yours that you work on keeping in check? <\/p>\n
Energy distribution. I have a big personality and never do anything by halves. I’m constantly multi-tasking which means I will eventually get it all done, just not necessarily in the right order. It’s a Gemini thing.<\/p>\n
Which person or group of people in Aotearoa deserves more recognition?<\/p>\n
Our healthcare workers – they are the backbone of our communities.<\/p>\n
What’s the best book you’ve ever read?<\/p>\n
The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, by the Dalai Lama. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-art-of-happiness-dalai-lama-TQOLBGYMHNFVTCN2CKCUIX5NRE.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
(Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
Which character in your acting history is most like you?<\/p>\n
Gah! I can’t narrow this down to just one character because inevitably they have to resonate with me as soon as they leap off the page, I think there’s a little bit of Miriama in all of them.<\/p>\n
What’s the best thing about turning 50?<\/p>\n
The clarity of knowing what truly matters to you, time regains value, boundaries become effortless and existence unapologetic.<\/p>\n
What are three essential qualities in a marriage celebrant?<\/p>\n
Compassion: holding space for love in all it’s forms; Creativity: the ability to weave a couple’s story together in an authentic and memorable way; Mauri Tau: staying calm in any given situation and being able to think on your feet. <\/p>\n
What are five words to describe your character in Dead Ahead?<\/p>\n
Kiri Wharekoa is formidable, intuitive, uncompromising, fiercely loyal, and protective. <\/p>\n
Season Two of Dead Ahead premieres on Tuesday, November 3, from 8am on TVNZ+. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to local TV, Miriama Smith has been in some biggies \u2013 from Xena: Warrior Princess…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":646224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2567,430,156,111,139,69,2114,384,417],"class_list":["post-646223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-opinion","tag-people","tag-television"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/646224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}