Wāhine toa Merepeka Raukawa-Tait might not have taken out the Miss Rotorua Beauty Pageant crown but winning the Te Arawa sash gives her just as much pride as the teenager who took out the big award.
All eyes were on the winner 19-year-old Eden Brons on Friday night who was a fitting winner.
But Raukawa-Tait said all 20 women, who came from all walks of life were worthy champions and loved the experience.
“Do you want the royal wave,” Raukawa-Tait laughed.
“What a fantastic three months this has been and an absolute wonderful experience.
“But it is a beauty pageant with a difference and women from all backgrounds, all ages and sizes are asked to come together.
“I’m so pleased I didn’t let the small voice get in my ear and stay there. I’ve had a blast.”
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait and support Rima Dean at the Miss Rotorua Beauty Pageant.
Raukawa-Tait, the chairwoman of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and former CEO of Women’s Refuge, said the experience also opened up a new outlook on people within her community.
“In every community, there are women with diverse backgrounds that can be challenging for them to get out of situations they might find themselves in, and a number of those women were on that pageant journey with me.
“I got to know women I would not have got ordinarily got to know and in the space of three months we got to share a lot between us. Some of their backgrounds were
Image 1 of 7: Miss Teen Rotorua 2022 - Jasmine Clarke. Photo / David Rowe Photography
complex but they wanted to make a difference for their children.
“I was also the opportunity for all 20 of us to make ourselves beautiful and learn how they can be resilient and be a mana wāhine in their own right. It was very empowering.
“I am all the better person for the experience.”
Raukawa-Tait said she will wear the Miss Te Arawa sash with pride.
“I am Te Arawa and I am a Te Arawa woman of senior years and to stand up on stage with the other women was wonderful.”
