New Leadership Team for NZ Improv Fest 2026–2028

A two-image collage of Mamaeroa and Austin. Mamaeroa is a Māori woman with black an dgrey hair, a cheeky smile with red lipstick, and a cool cat necklace. Austin is a Pākehā man with short blonde hair, a big smile, and a nice blue shirt.

Mameroa Munn and Austin Harrison

The New Zealand Improvisation Trust (NZIT) Board is thrilled to announce the appointment of the new leadership team for the New Zealand Improv Festival for the 2026–2028 term.

Austin Harrison and Mamaeroa Munn are our new Artistic Director and Festival Producer respectively.

"This new leadership structure reflects the growth and evolution of the festival, ensuring it continues to thrive and adapt to the dynamic improvisation community in New Zealand,” says Jennifer O’Sullivan, former director and current chair of the NZIT. “We’re really excited by the vision and experience Austin and Mamaeroa bring to the table - I can’t wait to see what their creative partnership will do with, and for, our community.”

Austin Harrison is a professional theatre-maker based in Wellington, working as a producer, performer, director and more. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Practice (Theatre) from Te Herenga Waka University of Wellington and regularly performs with PopRox. Austin has toured and taught all over Aotearoa and taken shows to Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. He attended NZIF for the first time when he was just 17 and has been part of the festival team since 2023.

Mamaeroa (Mo) Munn is a multi-award winning comedian and improviser based in Pōneke, and hailing from Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Hine. She has been improvising for almost a decade - training with iO Theatre (Chicago), MonkeyToast (London), and BaseJump (Wellington) - and has performed improv and comedy around the world. Mamaeroa also recently debuted their first solo stand-up comedy hour at the NZ International Comedy Fest - taking home the Best Newcomer award. During the work week, Mamaeroa works as a communications manager, and brings a wealth of leadership and management experience to the role.

The New Zealand Improvisation Trust looks forward to a vibrant and inspiring era under this new leadership team, continuing its tradition of fostering creativity, community, and excellence in improvisational performance for Aotearoa.

Media enquiries:
Lisa Garrity
lisa@lisagarrity.co.nz | 027 511 0388

Announcements, Media ReleaseJennifer AliceComment