Images: Robert Trathen
When life as the first Pasifika woman to be elected to the Auckland Council gets too serious, Josephine Bartley can lighten the mood with her promising career as a stand-up comedian.
The normally shy 51-year-old was inspired to try stand-up in 2021 after a former boyfriend dumped her through a message on Facebook. To help heal her grief, the Samoan lawyer thought the best way for her to overcome the separation was to go on stage and make light of her heartache.
“For Samoans, humour is how we cope with the pain that we experience in our lives,” she explains. “I had been single for 17 years before I put myself out there again and tried to have another relationship.
“I had only been seeing this person for three months when they dumped me on Facebook Messenger and I never saw them again.
“I didn’t want to drink and drown my sorrows. I needed an outlet and comedy was my outlet. It made me feel good that I could open up about my experience and it would make audiences laugh.”
Josephine reveals her decision was more than a little out of character as she normally comes across as quiet and reserved. But being on stage forced her to come out of her shell and try something new. “I felt reckless and thought, ‘Why not try this?!’”
It was while attending a leadership forum with high-level CEOs that Josephine first got an inkling her dry sense of humour was appreciated by others.
“I would say things and people would laugh – that was really validating,” tells Josephine, who entered the Raw Comedy Quest in 2021, a national competition to find New Zealand’s best new stand-up comedy.
She kept progressing in the various heats and eventually reached the finals.
“All the other comedians were younger than me and it wasn’t my normal scene. But I found the experience electrifying.”
Stand-up has also brought a nice balance for Josephine, whose career has been devoted to serving others as a lawyer and politician.
Raised in the South Auckland suburb of Māngere, growing up, she was influenced by fellow resident and former prime minister David Lange, who was an active advocate in the community. Admiring his tireless work as a social justice campaigner, especially the work he did to help the Pacific community, prompted her to study law.
For the majority of her career, she worked for the Consumer Affairs Department, as a consumer law advisor.
“I wanted a job where I could combine law and the community. I was helping people who were ripped off and at the same time identifying the gaps in the legislation. The work was so rewarding.”
Josephine was a Labour Party candidate for the Tāmaki electorate during the 2008 general election, finishing second.
Finding more success in local body politics, in 2010 she was elected to the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board in Auckland, where she eventually became the chair. In 2018, she was promoted and elected as an Auckland City Councillor, becoming the first Pasifika woman to take on the role.
“I entered politics because I wanted to get involved with the decision-making process for the area and be of service to my communities,” she reflects. “I like the caretaker side of it, and looking after an area and fighting for social justice and fairness.”
For now, Josephine has kept her comedy career tight-lipped and says not many of her council peers know she moonlights as a comedian.
“My community and my constituents don’t know about my comedy side, and the comedy audience don’t know that I’m on the Auckland Council. I’m good at having boundaries and respecting the two diverse things that I do.”
But at times, Josephine cannot contain herself and while she’s in the debating chambers in council, something humorous will burst out.
“I don’t mean to but sometimes it just comes out!” she laughs.
Her wit and her political insights have even landed Josephine a gig on TV, as a regular commentator on the AM show on Three.
As for romance, despite that unfortunate break-up that led to her comedy career, she’s still hopeful of finding someone special.
But for now, she has a loyal friend by her side, her beloved shih tzi pooch Milo.
“I haven’t lost hope in love, but I’m carrying on with my life with my companion Milo.”
