Dai Henwood’s Dai Hard tour to hit Hastings, balancing comedy and cancer journey

When Dai Henwood was 5 years old he told a joke and made a group of friends laugh.

From there he knew he had to pursue comedy, working his way on to stages, and TVs across New Zealand. That familiar face has recently taken Kiwis on a new path by sharing his journey with cancer.

Henwood doesn’t consider himself a celebrity nor does he really know what the future holds, but he promises “straight-up comedy” when he visits Hastings with his Dai Hard comedy show at Toitoi on April 11.

“The one thing I do know about the Bay is everyone comes out to comedy.”

Dai Henwood said audiences could expect a bit of everything with the Dai Hard show.

Henwood said the timing of the visit to the region was based on his treatment for his battle with stage 4 incurable bowel cancer.

He was diagnosed in April 2020, and since then has been through radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, something he has chosen to be open and honest with the public about.

“Due to the joys of cancer treatment, I wasn’t able to do a tour all at once so I’ve been doing it in small portions.”

He said audiences could expect a lot of laughs (rather than crying) at the show because he found it made everyone feel good.

“Laughter is so important in this crazy world we live in and no matter what people are going through ... getting out for a laugh is so important.”

Henwood said the live show was one he was most proud of, and said he came off stage feeling good after performing.

“It’s my funniest show, it’s my most heartfelt show, it’s got a bit of everything.”

Henwood said he decided to be open and honest with his audiences about his off-stage battle with cancer when it began to impact his on-stage presence.

“I was going on stage and I’ve always been very authentic as a comic and I felt I wasn’t being myself.”

He said he went through seven to eight months of chemo and radiation in 2024 but was taking life ”day by day, moment by moment”.

“I have just finished radiation, I had a tumour in a vertebrae on my spine, and I still have quite a lot on my lungs which causes me breathing issues.”

He believed the best way forward was to be open and honest and said a lot could prevented by not hiding the difficult things.

“Bottling things up and arguing with each other is not the answer.”

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.