Where Are They Now? - Janaye Henry

Where are they now?

It’s always interesting to learn about what our past students have been up to! Here is Janaye’s story.

Janaye Henry

My name is Janaye Henry (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) I grew up here in Tauranga Moana but now I live in Auckland. I’m a creative freelancer which means I have lots of jobs, I’m a stand-up comedian, I write for various TV shows, I ghost-write for some comedians, I do a little bit of acting and sometimes people pay me to talk about their products on Instagram haha. I’ve also done theatre in education tours which is when those people come into school to do a show for you – next year I’m co-directing Sexwise which is sex education being taught in schools through theatre, how fun!

When were you at Ōtūmoetai College?

2010 - 2014

Tell us about your student days here at Ōtūmoetai College?

I took English, Stats, Classics, History and Drama. A very writing heavy course, even the math class I took was essentially asking the question ‘what if in math you had to write out full sentences?’ I was obsessed with extracurricular, I think mainly so I’d be in a classroom at lunchtime if it rained. Do they still lock you out if it rains!? I was in the symphonic band, literally four choirs at one point despite not particularly enjoying singing, debating team, animal lovers, assembly committee, and then finally the creative arts committee. Outside of school I was working a few hours a week at Countdown so I could drop mad dollars on the canteen food and buy random things online.

Were there any teachers that particularly influenced you?

Miss Kirk / Suzanne Kirk – still feels wrong to use the first name. I had her for English twice and she is a feminist icon. She introduced lots of new ideas to me and was so patient with our class. Also Mr Shadbolt who no longer teaches at OTC but he was my stats teacher for a year and was so entertaining, he used to be a stand-up comedian, a radio presenter, all these cool things and he’s shown me the value of being in the entertainment biz but still being in and around schools.

What is a lasting memory you have of your time at Ōtūmoetai College?

50 cent garlic breads from the canteen, everyone smelling like wet dog when the jumpers got wet, no but for real the thing I remember the most is how much I liked it. Not always the education part of it but it was cool getting to hang out with my friends 5 days a week, the drama of asking someone out, the scandal when someone sits in your lunchtime spot. Those are still hilariously the things that stick with me.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you left school?

Yeah I wanted to be a lawyer, went to law school and it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. I pivoted my degree to a BA majoring in Criminology and Theatre and very much thought the Theatre was just for fun because I didn’t think I could get a job in the industry. This is my fifth year working fulltime as a creative!

Could you give us a little background on what’s been happening for you since you left school and how you got into comedy and acting?

I studied in Wellington and had always been into acting but I’d never seen stand-up. I watched one gig and thought ‘I could do that,’ and so I signed up for a comedy competition and got all the way to the finals. After that I kept getting asked to do gigs. Acting has always been in the background, auditioning for various things etc. and I got an agent this year which has helped.

What is the highlight of your career so far?

In September this year I curated and MC’d the first ever all wāhine Māori line up comedy show – that’s the highlight for sure.

What advice would you give to current students here at Ōtūmoetai College?

School is important but it’s also a big wide world out there so if school isn’t a place you love – that’s okay just get through it so you can see what’s on the other side. When I was a teen everyone was like ‘make the most, when you’re an adult you have to pay taxes!’

And it’s true, I do pay taxes but I actually love being an adult – it’s very fun out here. Also there’s so many random jobs out there people don’t even know exist, if you like something keep following that and there’s a good chance there is a job close to that thing.