Pio Keith Terei (born 1958) is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

actor, singer and comedian on New Zealand television.

Early career

Early in his working life he sold light commercial trucks for 14 years. In 1995 Terei headlined his own

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show ''Pete and Pio'' with fellow comedian

Peter Rowley Peter Rowley (sometimes credited as Harrison Rowley during his early career) (born April 29, 1952) is a New Zealand comic actor and writer. He is best known for his television roles, where he has played in numerous popular television series as c ...

. After the success of ''Pete and Pio'', Terei led his own show called ''Pio!'', featuring similar skits to his previous programme. It ran from 1997 to 1999 and it was during this period that he hosted the ''Coca Cola Christmas in the Park''. When ''Pio!'' was cancelled in 1999, Terei moved to the

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

network. In 2000, Terei led a TVNZ programme entitled ''The Life and Times of Te Tutu'', a comedy following the daily life of an 1800s Māori chief. Under his own Pipi Productions company, ''The Life and Times of Te Tutu'' played weekly until cancelled in 2001, when Terei ceased work under Pipi Productions.

Comeback

His comeback was with the TV ONE series ''Intrepid Journeys'' - a travel show where each week a New Zealand celebrity would travel to a different destination. Terei, who hosted ''Intrepid Journeys: India'', was praised for his comical yet informative segment which followed him across

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, in a 90-minute special. After that appearance, Terei wrote pieces for his new production company 4 Winds Studios which were contributed to the New Zealand dramas ''Mataku'' and ''Spin Doctors''. In 2003 he was granted his own show again, entitled ''Big Saturday Night In''. It featured New Zealand musicians from current and past years performing special acts - sometimes accompanied by Terei. Terei and his 4 Winds Studios company contribute work to the

Māori Television Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

channel. He hosts his own fishing show on the channel and is a spokesperson for the New Zealand Coastguard. He is on staff as Pou Tangata and presenter at Parenting Place., a national charity that supports parents and families in New Zealand. Since 2003 he has presented Building Awesome Whānau around the country and with Parenting Place, launched a new touring program called "The Parenting Show with Pio" in 2011. He has helped write and present two, thirteen-part series of parenting programmes on Māori TV called "No Sweat Parenting / Manaaki Whānau" 2009 and 2010. He has also been the advertising face of the

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digital television platform since 2012. As at 2021 Pio Terei is represented by the talent agency Auckland Actors.

Honours and awards

In 1997 he was presented the Rielly Comedy Award by the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

. In the

2012 New Year Honours 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, Terei was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

for services to entertainment.

Personal life

Terei's first name, Pio, is Italian. He is

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 165, ...

and

Te Rarawa Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Rūnanga and marae Te Rarawa has 23 foundation marae: *Korou Kore Marae, '' Ahipara'', represents the hapū of Ng� ...

. Terei resides with his wife and children in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. The family currently stars in a New Zealand travel show entitled ''Are We There Yet?'' on TV ONE. In his spare time, Terei is a known fishing enthusiast and musician. He frequently hosts corporate functions around New Zealand and is extremely popular as emcee. In interviews he has mentioned having a significant interest in New Zealand parenting values. He also has an interest in vintage cars and currently owns a 1956

Chevrolet Bel Air The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1975 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, ...

. As at 2010 he was a member (representing parents) on the Board of Trustees of

St Peter's College, Auckland St Peter's College ( mi, Te Kura Teitei o Hāto Petera) is a Catholic church, Catholic secondary school single-sex education, for boys in the Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice tradition, and dedicated to St Peter. it is located in the Auckland CBD ...

.St Peter's College website, BOT Members
Retrieved 29 April 2011.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terei, Pio New Zealand male television actors Ngāpuhi people Te Rarawa people Living people 1958 births Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand Māori broadcasters People educated at Rutherford College, Auckland St Peter's College, Auckland faculty