Cut the Mustard
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2002
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 2
About Cut the Mustard
Cut the Mustard is a New Zealand experiential design and spatial production studio founded in 2002 by Lizz Santos. It creates event environments for corporate gatherings, conferences, exhibitions, public activations and hospitality experiences. With a presence in Wellington and Auckland, the studio delivers projects throughout New Zealand, combining creative direction with the practical work of producing and installing temporary spaces.
Its approach draws together colour, lighting, texture and physical scale to shape how audiences move through and experience an environment. Projects range from conference plenaries and custom exhibition booths to gala dinners, product launches and intimate dining settings. The studio develops an event’s visual concept and spatial layout, then carries that design through sourcing, fabrication, installation, on-site management and pack-down.
From concept to installation
The studio’s work includes custom conference backdrops, lecterns and stage sets, alongside audiovisual spatial integration. For exhibitions and activations, it designs commercial booths, interactive displays, lounges and presentation areas. Decorative production extends to bespoke table centrepieces, ceiling installations and atmospheric styling, bringing individual elements into a coordinated event setting.
Cut the Mustard serves tourism organisations, government agencies, professional associations, healthcare conferences, commercial businesses and hospitality venues. Its portfolio spans recurring national events as well as individual launches, celebrations and travelling roadshows. This range includes both spaces built for presentations and environments intended for social interaction, dining or public engagement.
Selected project history
The studio’s documented work includes TRENZ projects between 2015 and 2026, conference environments for Silver Fern Farms, and the World of WearableArt Hub. Other projects include Local Government New Zealand’s SuperLocal conferences, the Trade Me National Roadshow, Building Nations Symposium exhibition designs and the 2026 WONCA World Rural Health Conference.
Sustainable event production is part of the studio’s stated approach, alongside the creative and technical requirements of each brief. The company remains independently owned and combines event design with hands-on production delivery.
More about Cut the Mustard
Leadership and creative background
Lizz Santos serves as Managing Director and Creative Director. Her background includes international theatre, film set design and commercial art direction across New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
Circular production practices
The company describes maintaining an inventory of modular architectural props, staging structures and decorative elements that can be adapted across projects. Its stated practices also include sustainable procurement, on-site recycling and working with sustainable suppliers.
Production model
A boutique core creative team works with permanent crew and freelance production and fabrication personnel.
Notable credits
15 creditsOffices
Where Cut the Mustard is based
- 1/164A Victoria Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6110, New ZealandWellington, Wellington Region, New Zealand
Wellington Headquarters
HeadquartersAbout this office
Overall headquarters handling central management, creative direction, client coordination and southern regional event operations. The report separately gives 6011 as the registered legal address postcode.
- 1B/80 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021, New ZealandAuckland, New Zealand
Auckland Northern Branch
About this office
Northern branch, also described as Auckland HQ, supporting commercial client liaison, northern North Island activations, conference styling and Auckland venue management.
Open roles
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