What a blast - Increasing Diversity in the best job in the world!

Anyone who attends marketing gatherings only has to have a casual look around the room to see that there is not a lot of diversity.

Last year, NZ Marketing Association (MA) with The ICE Base ran the inaugural Growth Project just for Māori students. This year, it evolved into The Marketing Futures Collective. To say this is one of our favourite projects of the year is an understatement. We welcomed eighteen Pasifika and Māori Tauira into the Marketing Association to a 5-day boot camp, and now they are on the way to becoming Professionally Certified Marketers- Core Skills through the Westpac New Zealand Marketing Academy and the University of Canterbury.

The students were recruited through The ICE Base’s Growth Project and Niu Pathways and were able to attend because 15 of New Zealand’s best companies sponsored them into the program. The students are all at the end of their studies, and the awesome part is they get to intern at the company that is sponsoring them. To become certified, the students complete 5 days of face-to-face workshops, one elective in their own time, and they work on a real-life project which is set for them by their sponsoring company. This project is evaluated by the University of Canterbury. The sponsoring companies are amazing as they not only sponsor but provide a key person for the student to connect with- they receive help and learn through them as part of their journey. The end goal is to get these brilliant young Pasifika and Māori students to want to enter the marketing profession – the best job in the world. To our knowledge, we’re the only professional association in NZ that runs an initiative like this.

The week itself was a blast. Having eighteen young enthusiastic minds coming into MA for five days running was an absolute privilege. The students had a lot to take in as they completed 5 workshops: Marketing Bootcamp, Essentials of Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media for Marketers, and The Secret Sauce of Great Copywriting. Our own indomitable Parker ensured the smooth running of the workshops and that all students were well fed – some of the boys have hollow legs!

Having acquired all this knowledge will help create a strong desirability for them with future employers. We knew they were all keen as we had full attendance every day and the facilitators faced a barrage of questions.

The students were also able to meet all their sponsors socially at the networking function. We got to meet ICE’s Kaumatua James Brown who shared his fabulous insights with us, and I know inspired both young and old and some in between! One highlight for me was being approached by the Polynesian students to say they had bestowed the name Uncle John to me, which was an incredible honour.

I told the group that it was my hope that, in ten years, some of this group would be sponsoring students into the Marketing Futures Collective. Below are a couple of comments from the students, and it was so nice to get a note from Manaui saying – “I hope to cross paths with you and your organisation again in future. Thank you, thank you, thank you John. Fa’afetai tele lava John. “

As well as having these great brains at the MA, another highlight was the group singing a thank you song to me as I left to go on holiday – a real tear-jerker! So, if you are interested in next year, be quick as we had a waiting list this year, and we will definitely be running it again in 2023.

Student Testimonials

“I remember a quote that said, when an opportunity presents itself, go for it! And as a young Pasifika student and first eldest girl in a Samoan family, I went for it and it has honestly been the best experience this far. I have met a lot of cool people and the diversity within the group is amazing” 
-Manaui Ash-Faulalo  

“I would 100% recommend this programme to other Rangatahi. It’s such a great experience you learn so much and get to meet some really awesome people not only within the industry but also people who are interested in marketing, likeminded and come from Pasifika and Māori backgrounds.”
-Hinemoa Fonua

Sponsoring Companies:  

Quote from a 2021 Sponsoring Company

“We sponsored Madeline from last year’s programme. After completing her training with the NZ Marketing Association, Madeline did her work-based project with us. We were so thrilled with her efforts that we’ve offered Madeline full-time employment as a Marketing Assistant at ASB. Madeline’s hard work, partnered with an incredible opportunity provided by The Marketing Association and The Ice Base has resulted in success for everyone. The diversity that these students bring is incredibly valuable and is only going to strengthen the industry.”
-Sumi King, Head of Brand, ASB

Madeline Penewi, Marketing Assistant, ASB