He’s of Māori and Samoan descent, and stars in Netflix’s new comedy North Of North, set in a Canadian Inuit community, but growing up in England caused some confusion for Kiwi comedian Bailey Poching.
“I had no real cultural touchstones of how an indigenous Pacific man should behave,” the 27-year-old tells Woman’s Day. “I have a British sensibility about me sometimes.”
Bailey, who has Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara heritage, only moved to New Zealand when he was 19. He recalls, “My flight from Manchester landed at the same time as a flight from Samoa. I came into the arrivals lounge and saw all these beautiful brown families hugging. It was this really romantic image. I fell in love with Aotearoa so quickly.”
The comedian gained a following with his role in Kid Sister and appearances on 7 Days, but North Of North, which dropped on Netflix in April and has already been renewed for a second season, is definitely his breakout role.
He plays Māori character Colin, who runs the local radio station, and was thrilled when an improvised “kia ora” made the final cut in an episode.
“Colin’s purpose in the show isn’t to be a Māori character, but to be a friend and supportive ear,” explains Bailey. “He has a whole world of interests, flaws and hypocrisies. I get to pour my version of Māori-ness into that character and I’m not beholden to representing an experience or an identity that I don’t have.”
He jokes about two Māori aunties recently interrupting his breakfast at an Auckland café to say they recognised him.
“It makes me look incredible to my parents,” he laughs, adding that his most special celebrity encounter was being tapped on the shoulder by Reservation Dogs actress Devery Jacobs, who told him, “You’re great in the show.” Bailey smiles, “I just thought, ‘Well, I can go home now.’”
He’s also thankful to his North Of North co-star Jay Ryan, who let him crash in his spare room for the show’s Canadian premiere. The fellow Kiwi actor was a comforting presence for Bailey, telling him, “Dude, you’re far from home and it’s happened so quickly – you’re allowed to feel nervous.”
Bailey says, “He’s in my corner and I’m really grateful.”
Hollywood came calling again when Florence Pugh rocked up to his sold-out stand-up show in Auckland last October.
“I was so stunned,” says the comedian. “I was just so aware of the chasm between the type of work we do, but she laughed and responded to my questions to the crowd. She was awesome.”
Another “surreal” experience was when Netflix asked Bailey for his postal address so the company could send him a special package to celebrate North Of North’s launch.
He laughs, “The next email I got from Netflix was that my subscription payment had declined. Ah, humbling!”
Back down to earth in New Zealand, Bailey is now starring alongside comedian Bubbah – of Tina from Turners, Celebrity Treasure Island and Taskmaster fame – in the local series Don’t, which explores the societal pressures on marriage, buying property and having kids.
Bailey muses, “All those things are so dependent on life circumstance. I’m a freelance actor and comedian, so there’s no guaranteed stability and I’ve been building my life to be OK with that. Buying a house is not something I’ve ever seriously considered as a possibility, but maybe at some point, I will – once I get tired of flatting.”
Bailey says his parents modelled a healthy, loving relationship for him.
“They’re a couple who have worked hard to get to where they’re at,” he shares. “They went through the trenches raising three kids in a cultural context that wasn’t the one they were raised in. I have nothing but respect for my parents and the things they sacrificed for us to be where we are.”
Now that Bailey’s mum is at the age his grandparents were when he was born, she wants grandbabies, he tells.
“When we’re out, she’ll see a little kid and say, ‘That would be nice.’ It’s starting to happen a bit more frequently than I’d like lately, but she’s always a little bit joking.”
Bailey’s open to a relationship, but it would have to be “the right person” – someone who can put up with the “feast and famine” lifestyle of a creative.
“It’s so inconsistent,” he says. “It’s so abundant and then absolutely barren.”
Of Don’t, Bailey adds, “Bubbah is pondering the big questions that face young people right now. We’re offering some views on what it means to marry somebody, to commit to marriage and the cultural context of that.”
Asked about Bubbah’s recent move to Samoa, Bailey grins, “She’s guided by her values. But I don’t think she recognises how generational her talent, character and presence are. We’ll be talking about her for years to come. She’ll either hate me or ask me to marry her when she reads this!”
Don’t is now streaming on TVNZ+, while North Of North streams on Netflix.
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