Comedy and entertainment come as second-nature to Māori, says comedian Joe Daymond.

“Our culture is the perfect breeding ground for what makes comedians comedians,” he says.

“We’re super introspective people, we love to reflect – that’s our entire existence. But then, as people, we also love to incorporate humour into all of that."

The stars have aligned – both literally and figuratively – as five of Aotearoa’s biggest Māori comedians come together in Yeah, Nah! - a Whakaata Māori comedy special marking Matariki with humour and heart.

Hosted by TimProvise (Te Ātiawa), the line-up features rising stars Courtney Dawson (Waikato), Janaye Henry (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa), Hoani Hotene (Ngāti Hauā) and Joe Daymond (Te Ātiawa, Fiji).

He whetū tārake nō Ngāti Hauā

From performing in a friend’s living room just five years ago to taking the stage at the NZ International Comedy Festival, Hoani Hotene’s journey has been surreal - recently crowned with the prestigious Billy T James Award.

“I do a lot of stuff about being part of a culture that you don’t always look like,” he says.

“Seeing how many people were [excited] to come to the shows – it was pretty unreal.”

He admits the journey isn’t always easy, but the reward is worth it.

“You’ve got no money, you’ve got nobody coming to shows. Nobody finds your jokes funny,”

“I think just getting past that self-doubt thing, [and] just being like, even if I fail, I can be ok.”

Te ao tōrangapū me te whakaari pukuhohe

While the laughs land, the comedy also cuts deep, drawing on personal and political experiences. With Joe Daymond’s 170,000-strong following, it brings significant attention to key kaupapa - raising the question: does politics have a place in comedy?

“Being Māori in this day and age is political,” Daymond says.

“I never wanna put pressure on others to have to speak on things that they’re not comfortable speaking on. But I take it as a personal [obligation] to, at the very least, speak from a perspective that is authentic to me.”

This was Daymond’s first time performing as part of an all-Māori comedy showcase.

“I reckon Māori – we’re great on our own. But we’re even better when we’re together, getting to sort of vibe off one another.”

For these performers, some of the most powerful stages aren’t on screen or in theatres – they’re at home or on the marae.

After years of following his parents to marae events, Daymond credits poroporoaki with helping him find his voice.

“By the time I was [old] enough to stand up and speak, I’d speak for us just pretty much at every ceremony that we’d go along to.”

“If you’re gonna speak in front of a big group of people, you’ve got to be crack up.”

Yeah, Nah! is now streaming on Māori Plus – just in time for the rise of Matariki.