Who Is Jess Sayer? Meet the Shortland Street Star Behind Maeve Mullens

Jess Sayer has become closely associated with Shortland Street through her role as Maeve Mullens, the outspoken nurse whose family, relationships and recovery have placed her at the heart of Ferndale. However, Jess had already established a successful career as an actor, playwright and screenwriter before joining the programme in 2020.

Her work extends across television, online comedy and New Zealand theatre, where she has received several major writing awards. Jess is also engaged to Amanda Tito, the actor and director who played Maeve’s former partner Saskia Burgess.

Who is Jess Sayer?

Jess is a New Zealand actor, playwright and screenwriter whose work has been produced for both stage and television. She originally considered a career in journalism before becoming drawn towards theatre and pursuing acting professionally.

Her experience as a writer gives her career an unusual range, as she can move between creating characters and performing them. That combination has helped establish Jess as far more than the actor behind one popular soap role.

Who does Jess Sayer play in Shortland Street?

Jess joined Shortland Street as Maeve Mullens in 2020. Maeve arrived as a confident nurse practitioner and later became Director of Nursing, giving her authority within the hospital as well as a substantial personal life away from work.

Maeve is openly lesbian and has been involved in several of the programme’s major LGBTQ+ stories. Her history includes marriage to Nicole Miller, parenthood with Saskia Burgess, the loss of her son Wilder and complicated relationships with Rebekah Anderson, BJ Nicholson and Dr Sophia Crane.

The role has allowed Jess to balance Maeve’s sharp humour with grief, addiction and vulnerability. Maeve can be difficult and impulsive, but she has never been reduced to a flawless representation figure or defined solely by her sexuality.

Jess Sayer’s television career

Before joining Shortland Street, Jess appeared in the television film Runaway Millionaires, playing Kara Hurring in the dramatisation of a New Zealand couple who fled after receiving millions of dollars through a banking error. Her performance earned a nomination at the New York Festivals Film and TV Awards.

Jess also appeared in the comedy series Auckward Love, playing Zoe alongside Holly Shervey, Lucinda Hare and Jess Holly Bates. She worked behind the scenes as a writer and executive producer, helping develop the stories of four Auckland friends attempting to navigate dating and adulthood.

Her other screen work includes Filthy Rich, SMOKO and the film Dead. Jess has also written for television, including contributions connected to Filthy Rich and Shortland Street.

Jess Sayer’s award winning writing career

Jess has won Playmarket’s b4 25 competition three times and was shortlisted twice for the Adam NZ Play Award. She won the main Adam award in 2020 for This Particular Room, while her earlier achievements included receiving the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award in 2015.

She was also nominated for three New Zealand Writers Guild Awards and has written plays including Elevator, Wings, Crunchy Silk and Fix. Several of her works have been staged around New Zealand, while Elevator has also been produced in the United States.

Jess’s play Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein received its world premiere through Auckland Theatre Company in 2025. The production reimagined the night Mary Shelley created the story that would become Frankenstein, bringing another of Jess’s original works to a major New Zealand stage.

Jess Sayer and Amanda Tito

Jess is engaged to Amanda Tito, who played Saskia Burgess in Shortland Street and later became a director on the programme. Maeve and Saskia were former partners on screen, creating an affectionate connection between the couple’s professional history and their relationship away from Ferndale.

Jess and Amanda had known one another for more than a decade before becoming flatmates and eventually beginning a relationship. Their friendship, romance and engagement will be explored more fully in a separate SoapLandTV LGBTQ+ feature.

Why Jess Sayer matters to Shortland Street

Jess has helped make Maeve one of Shortland Street’s most substantial lesbian characters, but her contribution to New Zealand storytelling reaches beyond acting. Her writing career has created work for theatre, television and online audiences, while Maeve has introduced that wider talent to viewers around the world.

For UK viewers discovering Shortland Street, Maeve offers an immediate route into Ferndale’s relationships and hospital stories. Learning more about Jess also reveals how closely New Zealand’s television and theatre communities can connect, with performers frequently creating and developing their own work.

Frequently asked questions:

Who does Jess Sayer play in Shortland Street?

Jess plays nurse Maeve Mullens, who joined the programme in 2020. Maeve has since become one of Ferndale’s central LGBTQ+ characters.

Is Jess Sayer also a writer?

Jess is an award winning playwright and screenwriter as well as an actor. Her credits include Auckward Love, This Particular Room and Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein.

Are Jess Sayer and Amanda Tito together?

Jess and Amanda are engaged after being friends for more than a decade. Amanda played Maeve’s former partner Saskia and has also directed episodes of Shortland Street.

Where can UK viewers watch Jess Sayer as Maeve?

Current episodes of Shortland Street are available free through STV Player in the UK. New episodes are added on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

UK viewers can watch current episodes of Shortland Street free on STV Player, while viewers in New Zealand can stream the programme through TVNZ+. Follow more Ferndale character profiles, LGBTQ+ features and programme news through SoapLandTV. Pictures: TVNZ.