Hori Ahipene

The versatile Hori Ahipene became a New Zealand comedy fixture in the 1990s after playing a Samoan matriarch on Skitz and The Semisis, a DJ in pioneering bilingual sitcom Radio Wha Waho, and his work directing for a run of sketch shows. The Toi Whakaari graduate went on to co-star with Te Radar on offbeat sitcom and chat show B&B, then took on dual roles for kapa haka comedy The Ring Inz. 

For a long time, I was the Māori in Pākehā productions. In Ring Inz, I'm a Māori in a Māori production that reflects a Māori world in the Māori language, that's accessible for all — it's not exclusive, and it's a joy to be part of. Hori Ahipene on acting in 2017 series The Ring Inz, in an interview for 2019 TV series Funny As: The Story of NZ Comedy