Edward Metcalf Smith (10 January 1839 – 19 April 1907) was an armourer and Liberal Party politician in New Zealand, and an advocate of the development of Taranaki's ironsand and oil.

He worked, as a youth, in the iron and steel industry in Staffordshire, probably at Bradley Hill Ironworks and in Cradley Heath, then joined gun makers Hollis in Birmingham, England .

When qualified, he was sent on short term assignment as Garrison Armourer and Small Arms Inspector to the New Zealand field forces.

[8] In 1892, Smith was a consultant at the Onehunga Ironworks, which was attempting to win a government bonus payment by smelting ironsand.

[9] The bonus was paid, but the episode was controversial; critics claimed that little if any of the marketable iron produced was smelted from local ores.

[6] Mary Ann Smith lived to see her son enter Parliament; she died on 31 August 1923 in New Plymouth.