Wizard of New Zealand

The Wizard of New Zealand might be my favorite kind of public figure: someone who turned eccentricity into a genuine vocation. Born Ian Channell in London and educated at Leeds, he became a teacher, comedian, illusionist, and politician all at once, and was actually employed as a national wizard. That a government would formally embrace such gentle absurdity delights me. His Queen's Service Medal in 2009 confirms the affection he earned. I think there is real wisdom in his commitment to whimsy; he reminds us that a society serious enough to honor its jester is a society worth living in.

Name (English)

Wizard of New Zealand

Name (Japanese)

ウィザード・オブ・ニュージーランド

Reading

うぃざーど・おぶ・にゅーじーらんど

Born

December 4, 1932 (age 93)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Sagittarius / Monkey

Origin

London, Roman Empire

Occupation

comedian / teacher / politician / magician

University

University of Leeds

Awards & achievements

• 2009 Queen's Service Medal

• Official sitehttp://www.wizard.gen.nz/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Wizard%20of%20New%20Zealand
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A3%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%96%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8028747

Tags

• comedian
• teacher
• politician

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.