Local Focus: Miss New Zealand finalist goes from gumboots to high heels

Depending on her role, you might see 26-year-old Zaley Tamihana-Brown in gumboots feeding her farm animals, in scrubs in a lab, or strutting her stuff in high heels on a catwalk.

The Tolaga Bay resident is one of 18 finalists vying for the title of Miss New Zealand 2023.

Tamihana-Brown grew up in a farming family of seven and has lived in Muriwai, Manūtukē, Tolaga Bay and Cape Runaway.

When she decided to enter her first pageant, her family couldn’t believe it.

“They laughed so hard, especially my brother and my dad - my family isn’t used to seeing me wearing makeup or high heels, and one time my dad was like, ‘Who’s that?’, because he didn’t realise it was me,” she said.

Mastering high heels took a bit of practice and coaching.

“I did fall over quite a lot, but it took me watching lots of videos and being coached to be able to strut my stuff on the runway,” Tamihana-Brown said.

As a shy child, Tamihana-Brown saw pageants as an opportunity to grow her confidence, after noticing other pageant contestants’ personal growth.

Her best friend Jasmine Dave, who she met at university, suggested she try out for a smaller pageant first.

“In the smaller pageants, the audience is smaller. The [level of] judgment and the negative comments that come from doing pageants is a bit smaller,” Tamihana-Brown said.

Talia Rhind. Photo / Miss NZ LTD

Her first pageant was Miss Asia Pacific International in 2019. She was awarded the Miss Mia Belle award, named Miss Scuba International New Zealand, and went on to represent New Zealand in Miss Scuba International in Malaysia.

However, with the bigger pageants came bigger critiques and criticism.

Tamihana-Brown says her family keeps her grounded when it comes to dealing with criticism and bad comments.

“I have a lot of whānau that are really supportive of me. They remind me of who I am and how far I’ve come in life. That’s what helps keep my head on straight,” she said.

Tamihana-Brown focuses on turning any negative online comments into positive ones.

“I’m not perfect, I have flaws and I’m okay with those flaws. Having people saying negative things to me [when] they have never met me - I take their negative comments with a grain of salt,” she said.

In the Miss New Zealand pageant, the main category revolves around an interview and charity work. The interview involves a panel of judges who will ask questions and decide on the winner.

The charity work includes raising funds and awareness for your chosen charity.

Tamihana-Browns chosen charity is Brave, a charity that raises awareness about sexual harm prevention among rangatahi in Aotearoa.

Other Miss New Zealand categories include appearance-based classics like the catwalk, swimwear, and evening gown brackets, along with newer rounds like social media, which judge contestants’ ability to promote the show and themselves to get votes.

Tamihana-Brown is using her platform to allow her followers to get to know her more.

“I’ve decided to share things about me that are pretty raw, things that I know people would be able to resonate with and [which would allow them to] be able to relate to me, and hopefully draw some inspiration and motivation from me.”

As a child, Tamihana-Brown spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals as her older twin sister was born with chronic renal failure.

This inspired Tamihana-Brown to enrol in nursing. She spent two years in Dunedin hospital working on a surgical ward in 2018, but then returned home to Gisborne to look after her grandmother, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2020.

She continued her study in Gisborne and is set to graduate at the end of this year with a Bachelor of Nursing.

“I’m very passionate about Māori health, so I would really like to work somewhere out in the community, she said.

“It’s no secret that Māori are over-represented in some of the poorest health statistics in New Zealand, and I’ve always wanted to help change that.”

She also wants to promote the positive side of pageants.

“It’s quite empowering, being around other women who are like-minded, and you share the same goals to support each other and want to help others.”

The thing she enjoys most about pageants is meeting people.

“You meet people from different backgrounds and different cultures. I think that’s very special because it helps you understand life, helps you connect with other people and broadens your mind,” Tamihana-Brown said.

The final of Miss New Zealand will be held on Friday, June 18 at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna.

To find out more about Tamihana-Brown’s journey, follow Zaley Tamihana-Brown - Miss New Zealand Finalist 2023 on Facebook and Zaley Brown on Instagram.

Public Interest Journalism Fund