There will be no embarrassing Miss New Zealand-type spats at the Miss Aotearoa pageant, the organiser says of the contest which begins today in Hawkes Bay.
Angela Cudd, 23, from Ngati Porou, won the indigenous title in 2010 but is now the pageant director after the show took a break last year.
The art of fact-checking has weighed heavily on her, Ms Cudd joked, especially after the national competition awarded South African born Avianca Bohm the Miss New Zealand crown despite her not having citizenship. An ensuing slanging match with the pageant franchise holder culminated in Ms Bohm being stripped of the title.
"I've worked hard to make sure everything's above board, our girls have given me their whakapapa (genealogy), but we've also taken measures to make sure the girls are looked after - that they enjoy this as a celebration."
It was a quick introduction to pageants for the former tomboy who has seven brothers and three sisters and whose family celebrated sport and academic success when she was growing up. Two years ago she entered Miss Wellington and the day after competed in Miss Aotearoa.
