A ‘prestigious’ rebrand for Wintec academic – and a bold new era for “Prestige™”
By Dwayne Pipe
Wintec’s Journalism Programme Coordinator and local theatre reviewer, Cate Prestidge, has announced she will be changing her name by deed poll to Prestige, marking what insiders are calling “a strategic personal rebrand.”
Speaking to the Independent this week, the principal academic said she has endured a lifetime of people mispronouncing and misspelling her name, and that “Prestige” better reflects her evolving identity.
“I think it really aligns with my personal vibe and long-term vision,” she said.
“It’s giving success.
It’s giving premium.
It’s giving… fully realised personal brand.”
“I’ve been watching what the kids are doing online and I’m honestly here for it,” she added.
“Everyone’s curating their identity, building their platforms, soft-launching new versions of themselves. I just thought, okay, slay, time for my rebrand era.”
Consulting with other creatives has been an important part of Cate’s process. Abby Dalgety, Senior Digital Marketing academic, suggested taking the rebrand even further by going mononym.
“With icons like Zendaya and Beyoncé leading the way, a single-name identity is instantly recognisable,” Dalgety said. “Prestige isn’t just a name, it’s a brand ecosystem.”
Dalgety confirmed that early discussions have included the rollout of a Prestige™ content strategy, including a possible podcast rebrand, a curated Instagram aesthetic, and a limited-edition merchandise drop.
“Cate has demanded tote bags, mugs, maybe a capsule collection of ethically sourced lanyards,” she said.
“It’s all about brand alignment and creating multiple touchpoints for audience engagement.”
Students have reacted with a mix of confusion and cautious support.
“At first I thought it was a bit random,” said a second-year student, who wanted to remain anonymous.
“But then she said it was part of her ‘personal growth arc’ and now I kind of respect it. It’s bold.”
Another student described the move as “unexpected, but also kind of iconic in a chaotic way.
Picture: Collegial support has helped the Gen Xer
An internal survey conducted by absolutely no one in particular has already found the rebrand has made the programme 87% more prestigious, with a margin of error described as “vibes-based.”
In short, becoming Prestige will bring prestige.
“Sure, there are some minor admin pain points, like updating my work contact details, legal documents, IRD information, and every single login I’ve ever created,” Prestige said. “But honestly? When you’re stepping into your power like this, you just have to trust the process.”
She confirmed the change would take effect immediately, with colleagues and students encouraged to “start using Prestige going forward.”
At the time of publication, Prestige’s email signature had already been updated to include three sparkles emojis and the tagline “In my new era”.
