Pax Assadi

Pax Assadi is a comedian, actor, writer and presenter known for his warm, conversational delivery, personal anecdotes, sharp quips and intelligent observations about racism and inequality. Described by the NZ Herald as “one of Aotearoa’s strongest and most important comedic voices”, he sees his work as a way to “challenge and shift culture” under the ‘cloak of comedy’: “If we weren’t at a comedy club, some of these things might be hard for people to listen to.”

His parents moved to Aotearoa as refugees in 1987. His father left Iran in the late ‘80s due to the persecution of those who practised Bahá’í, moving to Pakistan where he met Assadi’s mother in a hospital where she was working as a nurse. They fell in love and started applying to countries that might offer them asylum. A year after moving to Aotearoa, they gave birth to Assadi.

When he was 14, his family moved to Hamilton, and Assadi spent much of his spare time working in his father’s Godfreys vacuum cleaner store, which he credits as where he learned to be funny. "From 14, pretty much until I was 17, I was (there) every weekend selling vacuum cleaners… it didn't really provide me (comedy) material but it provided me with an ability to capture an audience's attention.” At age 17, they moved to Ōtautahi, and the following year, he told his parents he wanted to be a stand-up comedian. “My mum was not happy about it and it was tough to tell her.” He started performing the year after — in 2011 — debuting at Auckland’s Classic Comedy Club. In 2013, he was nominated for the Billy T Award.

In addition to his stand-up career, Assadi has been part of sketch trio Frickin Dangerous Bro as well as working across screen, appearing on shows like Jono and Ben, Funny Girls, Seven Days and Have You Been Paying Attention, and hosting shows like The Great Kiwi Bake Off (2022) and Endangered Species Aotearoa (2023).

In 2020, Assadi created and starred in Raised by Refugees (2022), a six-episode sitcom based loosely on his experiences growing up. Described by critics as a mix of Fresh Prince and Bro’Town with “a lot of heart, honesty and gentle humour”, the series begins in the week before 9/11, with the first episode depicting a 12-year-old Pax starting intermediate school and trying to impress his friends while his mum prepares dinner for her husband’s “judgemental Iranian family”. Assadi has spoken openly about how 9/11 impacted his experiences growing up. “All of a sudden, I literally became a bad guy. I was 11 and at intermediate school… I turned into a "terrorist" in everyone else's eyes.” In the TV show, as in real life, he tells everyone he is Tongan — a story that won him Gag of the Year at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards in 2016.

Raised by Refugees received Best Comedy at the New Zealand Television Awards (2022), with Assadi reflecting that “what I found interesting while writing it is that the saddest scenes are the most real. The stuff that might make you feel a bit emotional is exactly what happened in real life, moment for moment.”

A second six-episode season of Raised by Refugees was released in 2023.

Assadi lives in Tāmaki Makaurau with his wife and two daughters.

Pax Assadi official website

Pax Assadi on NZ On Screen

Vice: 'Pax Assadi Only Feels Like a New Zealander 90 Percent of the Time'

Stuff: 'Tongue Tied's Pax Assadi career choices didn't amuse his family'

Stuff: 'At home with comedian Pax Assadi'

As a TV writer:

2022 — Raised by Refugees
2021 — Frickin Dangerous Bro on the Road
2016–2018 — 7 Days
2015–2017 — Only in Aotearoa
2015 — Brown Eye

As an actor:

2022 — Raised by Refugees
2018 — The Breaker Upperers
2018 — Tongue Tied

As a presenter:

2023 — Endangered Species Aotearoa
2022 — The Great Kiwi Bake Off
2019–2020 — The Project

2022 — NZ Comedy Guild Awards: Best Writing for Television (Raised by Refugees)

2022 — New Zealand Television Awards: Best Comedy (Raised by Refugees)

2016 — Gag of the Year Award Winner, NZ Comedy Guild Awards