Career
In 2004 and 2005, Henwood toured the shows The Hot Steppa and Champagne Table Tennis, and performed at the Tokyo Comedy Store and in Melbourne and around Britain. [13] He subsequently performed seasons in both Auckland and Wellington during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival including the shows Dai-namic Scenarios (2007 & 2008), [14] Shabba (2009), [15] Dai Another Day (2009), [16] Ideals vs. Reality (2010), [17] Fonzie Touched Me (2011) [18] and Adapt Or Dai (2013). [19] In 2008 he was invited to the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and recorded a televised gala special. [20]
Henwood won the Billy T Award in 2002 for his show The Story of Funk, which he performed as a professional wrestler named "P Funk Chainsaw". [21]
Henwood spent a period on TV3's Sunrise morning show, as the gadget guy, giving humorous reviews of the latest gadgets. [22] [23] He subsequently rose to prominence after featuring on television station C4 hosting Insert Video Here in 2007. [24] [25] Henwood then went on to host two series of comedy travel show Roll The Dai on the same network. [26]
From 2009 until 2022, Henwood was weekly captain of Team Two on TV3's weekly panel comedy show 7 Days, filming over 150 episodes in that time. [27] [28] He now appears occasionally.
Henwood has recorded two DVDs: Dai Another Day, released by EMI in late 2009, and Adapt or Dai, released by Universal Music in 2013. [29]
In 2016, Henwood was presented with the Rielly Comedy Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand. [30]
Henwood released a memoir, The Life of Dai, in June 2024 through HarperCollins. [31]
In the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours, Henwood was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the entertainment industry and charitable fundraising. [32]
Personal life
Henwood is known for being a fan of NRL team the New Zealand Warriors. [33]
Henwood is married to art teacher Joanna 'Jo' Kelly. They have two children. [34] [35]
In January 2023, in an interview on The Project , Henwood shared publicly that he was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer in 2020. [36] [37] In 2024 he made a three-part docuseries, Live and Let Dai, in which he shared his cancer journey. [38] In 2024 he also released an autobiography, The Life of Dai, which covered his 27 year comedy career and his cancer diagnosis. [39]
Due to his ongoing cancer treatment, Henwood was forced to cancel the latter portion of his New Zealand tour of his show Dai Hard in May 2025. [40]
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