Sarai Perenise-Ropeti describes herself as half Samoan and half Māori. She studied theatre at Victoria University, graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts and will be graduating November 2021 from the Masters of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) programme.

Sarai has have always had a passion for Performing Arts. Being involved in the musical production Malaga (2009) is what sparked her interest in Pasifika theatre and inspired her to create stories about Pasifika people. She produced, wrote, and directed the show Brown Crown as part of her Masters degree and did a return season as part of the 2021 Kia Mau Festival.