Comedian and television presenter Dai Henwood has died aged 48.

Henwood was one of New Zealand’s best known comedians, with a career spanning stand up, television, live performance and charity work.

For many viewers, he was best recognised as a team captain on 7 Days, where his quick delivery and willingness to make himself the target of a joke became a regular part of the show.

He began performing while studying at Victoria University of Wellington. In 1997, he entered a university comedy competition in Auckland with fellow student Anna Kennedy. After performing at the Classic Comedy Club, he decided to pursue comedy professionally, moving to Auckland after completing his degree in 1999.

His first major television break came on TV2’s Pulp Comedy, where he won Best New Face in 1999. He won the Billy T Award in 2002, then took his shows overseas, performing in Tokyo, Edinburgh and Melbourne. In 2007, he won the Fred Award for best New Zealand show for Dai-namic Scenario and was invited to perform at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival.

Henwood later hosted the comedy travel series Roll The Dai and became a central figure on 7 Days from its 2009 debut. His television work also included Dancing with the Stars, Family Feud, Taskmaster and LEGO Masters NZ.

In 2020, when live performance stopped during the Covid lockdowns, he made Dai’s House Party from home, bringing comedians and music into people’s living rooms.

His career was recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours, when he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to entertainment and charitable fundraising. He also received a second Fred Award during his career.

Henwood was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2020. He kept the diagnosis private for almost three years, telling the public in January 2023. By then, he had undergone chemotherapy, high dose radiation and several operations, including surgery involving his bowel, liver and lungs.

Going public brought an immediate response. Henwood said he received more than 7000 messages in two days, including from people sharing their own experiences with cancer. He later spoke about the difficulty of explaining the diagnosis to his young children and the strain treatment placed on his family.

He continued performing when his health allowed, sometimes bringing the experience into his comedy. In 2025, he postponed shows after describing tumour activity in his lungs and a need to return to chemotherapy earlier than planned. His management announced new dates for the affected performances.

In 2024, Henwood published his memoir, The Life of Dai, with fellow comedian Jaquie Brown, and shared his cancer experience in the three part documentary Live and Let Dai. The book covered his early life, his comedy career and the effect of living with an incurable diagnosis. He said he wanted it to offer support to people going through cancer and their families.

He also put his public profile to work for cancer charities. Henwood was an ambassador for the Cancer Society’s 2023 Daffodil Day appeal and hosted The Comedy Treatment, a fundraiser featuring New Zealand comedians. He took part in Radio Hauraki’s Day in Loo campaign for Bowel Cancer New Zealand, which aimed to encourage people to talk about symptoms and seek medical advice.

In an interview published by 1News in April 2026, Henwood said he had undergone 51 rounds of chemotherapy and eight lung operations. He spoke about the toll of treatment, but also said he had lost his fear of death and was focused on the enjoyment of living.

Henwood was the son of actor Ray Henwood and Dame Carolyn Henwood. He and his wife Jo had two children. His work left a long record on New Zealand television, comedy stages and in the cancer awareness campaigns he helped bring to a wider audience.