Alumni Spotlight: Nick Nash AKA, Kita Mean

Nick Nash's ( 1999-2003) journey is a reminder that success doesn't always look like what you expect - and that's entirely the point. He built a business from the ground up, competed on the world's most-watched drag competition format, and won! He's an employer, a performer, a community-builder, and a genuine trailblazer for LGBTQ+ visibility in New Zealand entertainment.

We're proud to count him as one of our own.

Life After School

After leaving Howick College, Nick found his way into Auckland's vibrant entertainment scene, eventually stepping into drag and carving out a name for himself on the city's iconic Karangahape Road - the heartbeat of Auckland's queer community and arts culture.

As Kita Mean, he became one of the most recognisable queens in the country: sharp, funny, warm, and impossible to ignore in six-inch heels.

Building Something Real: Caluzzi Cabaret

In 2014, Nick and his long-time creative partner Nick Kennedy-Hall - better known as Anita Wigl'it - took a leap that most people would have called risky. They bought Caluzzi Cabaret, a beloved drag dinner theatre on K'Road that had been running since 1996. Kita had performed there as the shows comedy emcee and knew the place inside out when it came up for sale.

Under Nick’s ownership, Caluzzi flourished as New Zealand's premier drag dining experience - a three-course dinner paired with a full cabaret show, welcoming everyone from hen's parties to corporate groups to families. The venue is now widely considered the home of professional drag in New Zealand, with a roster of twelve queens and a reputation for world-class entertainment.

Nick went on to co-own the Phoenix Venue, produce live shows with a cult like following such as Drag Wars - a monthly platform for local drag artists to perform and develop their craft and two local television shows House of Drag and Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

The Crown: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under

If Caluzzi made Nick Nash a name in New Zealand's hospitality world, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under made Kita Mean an industry name across the world.

In 2021, Kita was announced as a contestant on the show's inaugural season - a huge moment. Kita brought her signature wit, warmth, and talent to the competition, winning the makeover challenge along the way and ultimately on the 19^th of June 2021, RuPaul announced Kita Mean as the winner of Season 1 - the first-ever Drag Race Down Under champion!

Putting It All on Paper: Life in Lashes

In case performing, running a couple of venues, producing television shows, producing podcasts and winning reality television competitions wasn't enough - Nick is also a published author.

Life in Lashes: The Story of a Drag Superstar is Kita Mean's memoir, and it's as honest and entertaining as you'd expect. From wild nights out to building a career on the drag scene, owning Caluzzi and competing on Drag Race Down Under, Nick lays it all bare - including the parts that weren't glamorous.

At its heart, the book is about self-worth, body image, and learning to be proud of who you are. It follows a young man who lived a life in high school weighing in at 150+ kg who found his identity through drag, learned to love himself along the way, and built a life that is entirely, unapologetically his own. As the book itself puts it: "There is a man in your future who is going to love you like nobody's business… and that man is you."

Nick's Own Words

My life has been a wild ride of ups and downs, twists and turns, and more than a few unexpected detours. But as I’ve grown older and wiser, I’ve come to realise that every step, every stumble, and every heartbreak has led me to this moment in time.

During my years at Howick College, I was incredibly insecure. I tried to survive by being the funny guy, the one who was kind to everyone and always made people laugh. Looking back, I was fortunate to have some truly inspiring teachers, particularly in English and Drama, who saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. They encouraged my creativity and helped me believe that my voice mattered.

At the time, I was hiding a lot of who I really was. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised that the very parts of myself I tried to conceal are actually the best parts of me. My ADHD brain, my flamboyance, my wit, my cheekiness - those are the qualities that have shaped my success. It simply took time to understand them, embrace them, and learn how to channel them for good.

I was 24 years old when I came out of the closet. Before then, I was angry, frustrated, and living a destructive life. But once I freed myself from the shackles of hiding who I was, I flourished. Since then, I’ve built three successful businesses, produced multiple television shows, and travelled the world entertaining audiences.

To any of you gorgeous Howick College alumni reading this, please hear me when I say: everything in life is temporary. The challenges, fears, and obstacles that feel overwhelming today will one day be part of your story, not your reality. And remember, you, and only YOU, are the master of your own destiny.

Move with intention. Love yourself. Be kind to those around you. Stay true to who you are. If you do those things, you will be GREAT. As the great Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show once said: "Don't dream it. Be it."