James Nokise: Using comedy to get people talking about politics

For Sāmoan-Welsh comedian and political commentator James Nokise, the stories people share at his shows can be just as important as the jokes he tells.

Touring around Aotearoa New Zealand, Nokise says conversations with audiences give him a glimpse of what people are experiencing and what matters to them, and help shape the way he approaches political comedy.

“When I go to Dargaville or you go to Thames, and you ask the audience and they start telling you because aunties can't be stopped,” he told PMN News multimedia journalist Aui'a Vaimaila Leatinu'u.

“And at that point, you're taking testimony. And they got real things to tell you about.”

Those conversations reflect concerns identified in the PMN News–Horizon Research Pacific Issues Election Survey.

Nine in 10 Pacific respondents said the cost of living would influence how they vote while 66 per cent identified health and 65 per cent housing as major election issues.

The findings underline how the pressures facing families can shape the conversations happening beyond the campaign trail.

Nokise says comedians need to make room for those experiences rather than rushing to turn everything into a punchline.

His work sits at the intersection of comedy and politics, and he uses humour to encourage people to think about issues that might otherwise feel difficult or uncomfortable to discuss.

New Zealanders head to the polls on 7 November with cost of living, health and housing among the key issues identified by Pacific respondents in the PMN News–Horizon Research Pacific Issues Election Survey. Photo/elections.nz

“I don't think it solves issues but I do think it helps people engage with issues,” he said.

He compares the role of comedy to making difficult medicine easier to take and using humour to draw people in while still giving them something to think about.

Nokise says that also means being willing to challenge those in power. He believes comedians should be prepared to satirise any government, regardless of which party is in office.

As he tours different parts of Aotearoa, he also reviews the candidates standing in the electorates he visits, bringing local politics into his comedy.

Nokise says political comedy works best when it grows out of an understanding of the people in the room.

The stories shared by audience members, particularly aunties, offer a reminder that political issues are not just talking points but part of people’s everyday lives.

Listen to James Nokise's full interview below.

His approach is not about suggesting a joke can fix a problem. It is about creating an opening for people to talk, question and reflect.

For Nokise, the conversation does not end when the laughter stops. That is where the work of comedy can begin.

Nokise’s One Night Rant tour will conclude with a sold-out show at Wellington’s Fringe Bar on Friday 6 November, the eve of the general election. The performance will be filmed and livestreamed.