Where Are They Now? -Mark Webster

Where are they now?

It’s always interesting to learn about what our past students have been up to! Here is Mark’s story.

Mark Webster

- Entrepreneur

Hello! I’m Mark Webster, a former student at Ōtūmoetai. Nowadays I’m a Dad and owner of Webster’s Tea, a premium tea company based locally at 7 Clarke Road, Te Puna. www.websterstea.co.nz

When were you at Ōtūmoetai College? Oooo a while ago now… from 2002-2006.

Tell us about your student days here at Ōtūmoetai College?

Ōtūmoetai College is where I met some important friends that are still a part of my life today. Keeping my options open I took a range of subjects: Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Calculus, Economics. I played saxophone in the school band for 5 years, and electric guitar in various other bands. In Year 13 I was part of the student executive.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you left school?

Not at all! You couldn’t have told me at 18 that I was going to own a tea business. Madness! It wasn’t until I was 27 that I figured it out. Now I love what I do.

Were there any teachers that particularly influenced you?

Nick Page was a favourite and I did well in Geography because of him. His passion for the subject was infectious and it was obvious he truly wanted you to succeed. Cheers Paigey!

Do you have any valuable life lessons that you learnt during your college years?

I don’t pretend to be wise, but let’s have a crack. Be ok with making mistakes and quickly learn from them. With that you’ll be more willing to try new things and that’s when possibilities really open up.

Could you give us a little background on what’s been happening for you since you left school and how you came about setting up your own tea business?

Sure thing! After school, I went to Otago University to study Surveying. Zigzag forward a few years and I graduated from Victoria in Wellington with a Bachelor of Commerce in

Marketing. Next I traveled on an OE through Asia eventually landing in Canada, where, quite by chance, I came to work for a tea company in the Rocky Mountains. I fell in love with tea, and when I returned to NZ it dawned on me that Kiwis had become used to drinking bagged dust. So I decided to do something about it.

Tell us about Webster’s Tea?

We want to improve NZ’s tea break! I started Webster’s Tea for those wanting more from their tea experience. I figure that some of the best moments are shared over tea, and we should make it a good one.

So we specialise in premium loose leaf tea; Fresh, larger, loose leaves and ingredients, produced organically and sustainably. It’s better tasting tea.

We supply cafes all over the country, have an online store - websterstea.co.nz, and have recently opened up a retail shop at 7 Clarke Road, Te Puna. Come and say hello!

What advice would you give to current students here at Ōtūmoetai College?

I would say, don’t put pressure on yourself to have it all figured out. There’ll be twists and turns and you’ll work it out along the way. Who knows? You might even find your calling living in the mountains on the other side of the world.