Kura Forrester

 ( 1985 Births ) 

Forrester has appeared in numerous productions across television, film, and theatre. She had a small role in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's mockumentary film What We Do in the Shadows, as a victim of Viago – the vampire played by Waititi. Other feature film credits include The Breaker Upperers, and Fantail.

On television, Forrester has had leading roles in Auckland Daze, Super City, Find Me A Māori Bride, The Barefoot Bandits, The Adventures of Suzy Boon, Jandal Burn, Golden Boy and Educators. In 2019, she joined the core cast of Shortland Street, New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera. She plays Desdemona Schmidt, the larger-than-life socialite mother of Angel Schmidt.

Forrester's theatre credits include Perplex, Camping, Ngā Pou Wahine, The Wholehearted, Amadeus and When Sun and Moon Collide.

In 2019, Forrester was nominated for the BillyT Award, an award named after iconic New Zealand comedian Billy T. James and awarded to the country's best up-and-coming stand-up comedian. As part of the 2019 New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Forrester performed her show Kura Shoulda Woulda at Auckland's Basement Theatre and Wellington's BATS Theatre. The award ceremony was held on 26May 2019, and Forrester was awarded the BillyT. In doing so, she became the first woman of Māori descent to win the award, and the first Māori to win it since 2004. She later toured the show across New Zealand.

Forrester appeared on the panel show Patriot Brains in 2021. In 2022, Forrester was a contestant on series3 of Taskmaster NZ. In 2023, she appeared on Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee.

She released a series on YouTube in 2025 for The Spinoff called Bryn & Ku's Singles Club with Brynley Stent.