 He is Māori of Ngāti Kahungunu descent.Raised in Nelson on New Zealand's South Island, Smith initially attended Nelson College in his hometown before finishing off his schooling at Christchurch Boys' High School, playing first XV rugby for them and wearing the same number 10 jersey that Dan Carter, Andrew Mehrtens and Aaron Mauger had worn before him.After graduating high school, he headed south to Dunedin to study commerce at the University of Otago and played local club rugby for the university's team during his time there.