If you’ve seen us out-and-about at events, you may have met Mark (as in exclamation mark, get it?!), our friendly Student Job Search (SJS) mascot.
In devastating news for all involved, Mark has reached retirement age and is ready to ride into the sunset. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened at all.
This left us on the hunt for Mark 2.0 and is where Whitecliffe College students stepped up to the plate. Whitecliffe, which offers programmes in Sustainable Fashion, Jewellery, Fine Arts and Technology, has its Wellington campus in the same building as the SJS office. So, we challenged some of their students to pitch us a new version of Mark which the winner of the contract will design and produce themselves, providing a real-life taste of what they may experience post-study.
SJS Chief Executive Louise Saviker says, as New Zealand’s champion of student employment, it just made sense to get the Whitecliffe students involved in this project.
“It’s great for us to walk the walk, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.
“Today’s students bring such enthusiasm, energy, and creativity to everything they do, and we saw that when the students’ pitches were delivered last week – it was a really tough decision!
“We know for the thousands of students who register with SJS, the work experience and connections they make through working can be just as valuable as the income they earn, so we are thrilled to collaborate with Whitecliffe in this way.”
The student with the winning pitch was Sophie Ivory, who just finished a Certificate in Apparel and Fashion Technology. Her design ticked all the boxes when it comes to producing a practical, sustainable, and comfortable mascot costume suitable for regular use at events such as campus visits. She now has until the end of January to complete Mark 2.0.
Whitecliffe CEO Dr Fay Amaral says the collaboration aligns strongly with Whitecliffe’s commitment to creativity, sustainability, and meaningful industry engagement.
“We are grateful to SJS for this wonderful opportunity to collaborate, we are passionate about creativity, sustainability and design thinking, alongside enabling our students to thrive both in their studies and the world of work! This was a natural fit and of course we know how awesome our students are, so no surprise it was a tough choice! Well done, Sophie!”
Thanks to all the finalists for taking the time to pitch their ideas, and of course their tutors for all their support. Stay tuned to the SJS and Whitecliffe social media pages over summer for updates on Mark's glow-up.
For more information on listing or applying for student jobs, go to www.sjs.co.nz.
Interested in studying sustainable fashion, jewelry, arts, design, or tech? Head to www.whitecliffe.ac.nz to find out more. February 2026 intakes are still open.