Last night, Miss World NZ was held in Auckland and three of the finalists were Māori. The women say representing wāhine Māori on stage was a major highlight and they encourage more Māori to participate.
A night of celebrations, saw Auckland's Lucy Brock crowned this year's Miss World New Zealand.
For last year's winner, Jess Tyson, this was her last night as Miss World New Zealand, after she placed in the top 12 at the Miss World Final and was named Miss Oceania 2018 at the China event.
Last year's Miss World NZ, Jess Tyson.
As Tyson passed on the crown to Brock, she said, "Many people have asked how I feel about ending my reign as Miss World NZ. Many think that I will be sad that my time is over, but I feel the complete opposite. I'm so excited to be here to celebrate the achievements of our beautiful contestants."
Amongst the finalist, were three wāhine Māori. Despite not winning the title, Natalya Aroha Jackson, Tess Austin and Morgan Hands walked away with multiple other awards. They say representing wāhine Māori was a major highlight.
Hands, who is of Ngāti Hei descent, says, "I am so proud to represent my culture and have three girls representing our Māori women this year. I hope more Māori women see us and aspire to be just like us."
Tyson says, "Watching our Māori girls perform on stage tonight was just so incredible, just the fact that they are coming out of their comfort zone and getting up on that stage, just embracing their beauty and their talent."