Aotearoa to Edinburgh

Some of Aotearoa’s brightest comedy stars are heading to the Edinburgh Fringe! Below is a list of incredible Kiwi comedians, many of whom got their start at the NZ International Comedy Festival and are now making waves on the global stage. Some are even performing in multiple shows because one just isn’t enough to contain all that talent. We’re so proud of everything they’re achieving!

Abby Howells - Welcome To My Dream

2025 Fred Award nominee. Abby Howells takes you on a journey into her own mind. Life is agony, as they say, hahaha! Abby has many enemies and they will be vanquished. How? By talking about them in a comedy show? Probably not, but that's what is going to happen. Abby Howells is best known for coming last on Taskmaster NZ season five, but coming first in references to the Titanic.

Barnie Duncan - Ooky Pooky

As seen in the 2025 NZICF! Barnie (half of Different Party, 100% of Juan Vesuvius), a funny boy from New Zealand, recently found a tape of his mum talking to an astrologist in 1980 during which his entire life was predicted. It has been strange to see how much of it has come true. And a little bit oooky pooky. 

Becky Umbers - Put That Cat Back in The Bag

As seen in the 2025 NZICF! In her debut hour, award-winning NZ comedian dives into the delicate art of keeping a cat (your inner weirdo) hidden in a bag. A joyous hour of unique storytelling and observations told with the voice of a kids cartoon and cheeky wit of an adult comedian. 

Chris Parker - Stop Being So Dramatic!

Fresh off the buzz of a nationwide tour, superstar Chris Parker takes his new hour to the Fringe for the first time in 6 years! He’s heard the expression 'stop being so dramatic' his whole life, but only now, at the culturally relevant age of 34 is he ready to address it and face these drama queen allegations head-on. 

Dan Boerman - Folds a Fitted Sheet on His Own

Direct from folding a fitted sheet on Cuba St and up Calton Hill. A love letter to our better halves and/or our situationships. Dan Boerman debuts his brand-new solo hour, after a sell-out 2024 Edinburgh debut. High-energy, chaotic Kiwi comedy, direct from Down Under

Danny Sewell, Hoani Hotene, and Fin McLachlan - Lord of the Zings

A Kiwi comedy showcase. You shall not pass... up this opportunity to see some great Kiwi comedy! The last Lord of the Rings movie came out in 2003 and these NZ comics are still riding that wave. They don't have a single joke about hobbits or any opinions on the works of Peter Jackson, they're just using this as a marketing ploy. 

Eli Matthewson - Night Terror

Winner – Best Comedy Dunedin Fringe 2024. Winner – Fred Award 2021 NZ International Comedy Festival. In 2023 my boyfriend tried to kill me in my sleep. We are still going strong. This is a story about theft, anxiety and unforgettable biscuits. A new hour of comedy from one of NZ's best. As seen on Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Have You Been Paying Attention? NZ, Celebrity Treasure Island.

Guy Williams - If You Mildly Criticise Me I'll Say It's Cancel Culture And Turn To The Alt Right

Potentially the worst contestant in Taskmaster history, and the host of the iconic TV series New Zealand Today, Guy Williams returns to Edinburgh with his show as seen in the 2025 NZICF! Sandwiched between a seemingly ineffective and out-of-touch establishment, and an unhinged new brand of far-right populism. This new show is a hilarious and cathartic polemic against the insane political hellscape of 2025!

Hoani Hotene - It's Getting Hot-ene, So Tell Me All Your Jokes

2025 Billy T Award winner. A kiwi passport, a mix of observational and absurd jokes and a Maori name to put it all together. Hoani is an award-winning comic from Aotearoa who brings a show with a ton of heart and all his jokes over from the other side of the world. Come catch one of New Zealand's top rising comics in his trip out to the festival city.

Laser Kiwi - Everybody Knows

Laser Kiwi is back with a brand-new show! Armed with world-class circus skills and their signature brand of surreal sketch comedy, they'll attempt the impossible: articulating that thing we're all thinking. Winners of Best Circus, Adelaide Fringe 2023, Laser Kiwi will make you laugh, gasp and maybe even agree on something for once. Developed in partnership with Auckland Live and Hannah Playhouse in Aotearoa NZ.

Nina Hogg and Austin Harrison - Corrie

Coming up on Corrie: yet another scene in the local pub, someone’s up the duff and two Kiwis figure out if they got their Manchester accents down in time! Five episodes, two actors, 50 minutes of action-packed mundanity. Performed by Kiwi comedic delights Nina Hogg (Ginge & Minge) and Austin Harrison (PopRox), Corrie is a fast-paced comedic treat that is Fringe in all the best ways.

Paul Williams - Don’t Look At Me

As seen in the 2025 NZICF, the star of Taskmaster New Zealand returns to Edinburgh, having told over a thousand jokes and received countless rounds of applause and bouts of laughter. Everyone is telling Paul that this is gonna be his year and he's feeling very optimistic about how it's going to go. Just don't look at him.

Paul Williams - Plays The Hits

For one night only, the Taskmaster NZ star and Lorde's favourite Kiwi musician ('That was really nice of her' – Paul) plays the hits at this year's Fringe. With the launch of his sophomore album Summers in Salzburg and sold-out shows in New York, LA, London, New Zealand and last year's Fringe, Paul plays a special late-night gig, featuring the best of Surf Music and Summers in Salzburg. 

Ray O’Leary - Laughter? I Hardly Know Her

As seen in the 2025 NZICF, Ray O'Leary (Taskmaster NZ, sold-out run Edinburgh 2024, Most Outstanding Show nominee, Melbourne Comedy Festival 2024) pulled a man from a wrecked car and as the man lay dying, he used his last ounce of strength to ask Ray to tell his children he loved them. And Ray will get round to it, but first he has to do this comedy show.

Rhys Darby - The Legend Returns

The Kiwi icon returns after 13 years with a new stand-up show for 2025. In a world full of AI and robot tech can a simple dad with slightly too-tight jeans stay relevant? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes! Rhys hopes to prove that right now a touch of very human silliness is more important than ever. Perhaps his unique human skills, once thought of as absurd, might be useful after all!

Rose Matafeo and Paul Williams - An Hour of Class

Rose and Paul want to be real classy with it. Join them every Tuesday for a late-night lineup of the classiest acts at the Fringe.

Tape Face: 2.0

Celebrating 20 years of Tape Face, the show returns to where its worldwide journey began. Mime with noise, stand-up with no talking – drama with no acting. Las Vegas headliner Tape Face has become a global sensation. See the critically award-winning show that started it all.

Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan - Different Party

2024 Fred Award winners return to Edinburgh with their delightful award winning show! Amongst the drudgery of the nine-five, the minutiae of office existence are transformed into gleeful slapstick as these two clown and comedy performers create something truly wild. Dialogue is minimal, but jokes are plentiful in this extraordinary celebration of the banal.

Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan - Hot Chips

Two men who like making funny shows together have decided to use the cavernous bowels of the Underbelly to stretch, writhe and dream the impossible dream one more time. A brand-new show made right in front of you. Trygve lives in Prague and Barnie lives in New Zealand, so they don't get to hang out very often, but this August they will, and they can't wait to see what will happen.

Two Hearts - Don’t Stop Throbbing

Critically acclaimed musical comedy powerhouses Laura Daniel (Taskmaster NZ) and Joseph Moore (has also been on TV) are making an explosive return to the Fringe! Step into a concert-like experience and forget about the horrible world we live in with this boiler-room set of uplifting hits (largely about the horrible world we live in).