Equity New Zealand Board
Te Poari

Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira

President

Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira

President

Since training at Auckland’s influential Theatre Corporate, Jennifer has worked extensively as an actor, director and teacher in theatre, film, television, musical and radio for over 40 years. She is also a fully qualified Intimacy Coordinator for stage and screen and teaches this work at drama schools, theatre societies and industry events throughout the county.

On stage her work includes THE GOAT, THAT FACE, BERLIN, BREL and THE BOOK OF EVERYTHING for Silo Theatre, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, THE SEAGULL and KING LEAR for ATC. She has excelled in both dramatic and comedic roles, as well as numerous roles in musical theatre and cabaret. Her film and television work includes DESPERATE REMEDIES, VERMILION, DIRTY LAUNDRY and DOUBLE PARKED.  She works regularly as a voice over artist and can be heard as AUNTIE PŪ on the children’s series TĀKARO TRIBE.

Jennifer was a founding board member of the Watershed Theatre and a co-founder of  The Actors’ Program. She is currently President of Equity New Zealand (since 2007), Patron of Q Theatre, Theatre New Zealand and Howick Little Theatre and serves as a trust board member of the NZ Actors Benevolent Fund. In the 2007 New Year’s Honours List, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to theatre and the community. In 2018 Jennifer was awarded the SPADA Industry Champion Award and in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to theatre, film and television and presented with a Woman of Influence Award (for arts and culture) In 2020 she was honoured as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. Jennifer has been a keen student of te reo Maori since 2008, and in 2017, she was gifted the name Te Atamira (The Stage) by Sir Timoti Karetu and Te Wharehuia Milroy.

Tandi Wright

Vice-President

Tandi Wright

Vice-President

Tandi is an actor of more than 25 years experience, working both in NZ and offshore.

She is passionate about improving the day-to-day lot of actors in NZ and has been Vice President of Equity NZ for over 10 years. Career highlights include Daffodils, Monster Problems, The Returned, Jack the Giant Slayer, Out of the Blue, Black Sheep, The Events, Twelfth Night, When The Rain Stops Falling, Nothing Trivial, and This Is Not My Life.

Fasitua Amosa

Vice-President

Fasitua Amosa

Vice-President

Fasitua is Samoan and has spent the last 18 years either on stage, on camera, behind a mic in the booth and recently directing and developing Pacific theater in Auckland.

Fasitua has worked for the Silo Theatre Company, Auckland Theatre Company and the Kila Kokonut Krew and has numerous film and television credits including The Millen Baird Show, The Tattooist, Siones Wedding and The Insiders Guide to Happiness. In 2009 he began doing Stand Up comedy as a new challenge. His show Ruufless!! was a great success at the 2010 International Comedy Festival earning him a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Festivals Comedy Awards.

In 2012, Fasitua performed his show “Info Crack Whore” at the Comedy Festival. Fasitua is a founder member of the Pacific Theatre Laboratory, which was formed in 2012 out of a desire to create contemporary Pacific works that are engaging, meaningful and challenging to the pacific theatre status quo. In 2013, Fasitua stars in “Le Tonu – the Decision” produced by the Pacific Theatre Laboratory. He is a keen motorcyclist and super proud to have stepped up as a Vice President for Equity New Zealand. He looks forward to serving and strengthening the union.

Kira Josephson

Secretary

Kira Josephson

Secretary

Kira is originally from the USA, where she attended the Orange County High School of the Arts and went on to receive her B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Stephens College. Since graduating, she worked and toured regionally around the United States before moving to New Zealand in 2015. Kira received her New Zealand citizenship in 2024.

She works regularly at The Court Theatre in Ōtautahi as an Actor (The Girl on the Train, Dance Nation, Legally Blonde, etc), a Choreographer (Something Rotten, Little Shop of Horrors, Little Mermaid Jr, etc), and an Intimacy Director (Dance Nation, She Kills Monsters, Nude Dudes Do Dramatic Readings, etc). She teaches regularly at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art, and at various dance studios throughout Ōtautahi. 

Kira is a proud member of the American Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, as well as Equity New Zealand. She appears as “Jane” on Power Rangers Dino Fury [Seasons 28 and 29] and Cosmic Fury [Season 30] and as “Bec” on Kid Sister on TVNZ [Seasons 1 and 2].

Kira is represented by KR Actors.

Marianne Infante

Marianne Infante

Marianne is a Kapampangán-Filipino multi-disciplinary creative based in Tāmaki Makaurau.

She is a Unitec graduate and is Proudly Asian Theatre’s executive producer and co-founder/co-director of Te & Kuya Collaborative. Making waves, Infante is the writer of award-winning show ‘PINAY’, six times nominated short-film MEKENI, the first Filipina core cast on ‘SHORTLAND STREET’ and in 2023 was awarded the WIFTNZ’s SAE Outstanding Newcomer.

A proud Equity member since 2016 turned executive board member in 2020, she is one of the world union leaders to officially establish ‘FIA Future Now’ (International Federation of Actors youth global working committee) October 2022.

She works to empower Asian and marginalised voices in Aotearoa and internationally.

Ben Freeth

Ben Freeth

Ben has immersed himself in theatre since graduating from the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA) with a Bachelor of Performing Arts.

His previous credits as an actor include Romeo and Juliet; Mary Poppins; Cops and Robbers; Legally Blonde the Musical; The Ugly Duckling; Chicago; Titus Andronicus; Jesus Christ Superstar; Les Liaisons Dangereuses; The Wind in the Willows; Jersey Boys; Little Shop of Horrors; Flagons and Foxtrots; Rent; Something Rotten!; Murder on the Orient Express (The Court Theatre); Once on Chunuk Bair (Imagine Charitable Trust); RAP-unzel; Botfarm 2014 (New Zealand Playhouse); Madagascar the Musical (GMG Productions).

Ben’s stage management credits include Catch Me If You Can; Severely Queer (Blackboard Theatre Collective); Sweet Charity; Ragtime (NASDA); Songs for a New World (So Keen Productions); The Father; The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race and he served as assistant stage manager on Hudson & Halls Live! (The Court Theatre).

His directing credits include Time Machine; Crash Bash; Disney’s Frozen Jr; She Kills Monsters and was assistant director on Next to Normal (The Court Theatre); The Isolation Mixtape and The Isolation Mixtape Vol. 2 (Blackboard Theatre Collective).

Miriama McDowell

Miriama McDowell

Miriama is an actress, director, tutor and writer.

She graduated from Toi Whakaari in 2002. She started her career working in theatre with some of Aotearoa’s best-known Maori playwrights and quickly moved into film and television. Miriama has worked extensively in TV, most recently Brokenwood Mysteries, Hope and Wire and Find Me A Maori Bride.

Miriama’s film credits include Mahana, Waru, No.2 and Dark Horse. Miriama won the best actress Moa for her role as Bunny in Great Maiden’s Blush in 2017.

Miriama works as a director in theatre, and in 2017 her production of Much Ado About Nothing for Pop Up Globe was seen by 50,000 audience members in NZ before touring to Melbourne. She has just directed her first TV series, Ahikaaroa.

Miriama has been an integral member of Massive Company for over a decade and loves working with young people. Most recently Miriama has been working as an intimacy coordinator which is a great opportunity to advocate for actors on set. Miriama is a mother of two girls and is passionate about challenging our industry to look after working mothers.

Jeff Szusterman

Jeff Szusterman

Jeff Szusterman is an award-winning actor who has appeared in numerous theatre, film, and television productions.

Jeff has worked in theatre as both an actor and director all around Aotearoa and the United States, and regularly teaches and coaches the next generations of young professional actors at AYA Drama School, and tertiary training facilities around the country. Recent television credits include: War Story, Jonah, Ash v Evil Dead, and the feature film 6 Days. He provided lead character voices for Power Rangers across the two seasons of Samurai, and Super Samurai. He has directed series and reality television and over twenty professional theatre productions. He is currently working on his first play, slated for production in 2020.

Mark Mitchinson

Mark Mitchinson

Mark was born in the UK but moved to New Zealand as a young boy. He returned to England in the early eighties to study as an actor at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
He returned to New Zealand in 2002 after years in the UK running his own business. He resumed his acting carer in New Zealand and notably won Best Actor at the NZ Television Awards in 2011 for his role as, Colin Bower in Screentime’s feature film ‘Bloodlines” and won Best Actor again in 2012 playing Jan Molenaar in the feature film ‘Siege’. He has been in over 100 Television Series and Films both in NZ and Australia and is now venturing out into teaching and working with the Equity board to further the welfare and well being of Actors.