KIWI JOKERS: THE RISE AND RISE OF NEW ZEALAND COMEDY. HarperCollins, 1997. 216pp. ISBN: 1869502485 (Out of print.)

A history charting the growth of the comedy industry in New Zealand, from the pioneers such as John Clarke, Lyn of Tawa and McPhail and Gadsby, the mass popularity of Billy T James and the birth of ‘alternative’ comedians such as Funny Business. Roughly covers the years 1970-1996 (BC – Before Conchords)

One of the primary resources for the 2019 Augusto television documentary series and Auckland University Press book, Funny As: the story of New Zealand comedy

‘Kiwi Jokers is mostly thoughtful, fast and funny…Above all the book is a good read about people we all know – or thought we knew’ – Gordon McLauchlan, NZ Herald

‘Matt Elliott’s book makes one aware of a wonderful comic tradition created in only 20 years. I greatly admire his professional use of interviews to recreate an important part of our past, one which historians could have overlooked (and probably still will).’ – Neville Bennett, New Zealand Books

‘Matt Elliott deserves our congratulations and respect just for writing this book. He’s written a well-researched and immensely readable history of a subject that has otherwise generally gone unnoticed. A talented comedian himself, he was well qualified to write this book.’ – Presto magazine