Uplifting stories showcasing success, inspiration and possibilities. Video / NZME
Rotorua model Kiara O’Leary recently returned from Malaysia and Singapore, where she came second in the Miss Tourism Worldwide pageant.
The 28-year-old likes to inspire children to try new things and plans to give schoolkids ballet and hip-hop dance lessons.
O’Leary is going to the United States next month for casting for Miami Swim Week.
NZME has launched On The Up — a national campaign showcasing amazing stories of inspiration, success, courage and possibilities. In this story, reporter Megan Wilson talks to dental nurse and model Kiara O’Leary about her success in the world of pageants.
Kiara O’Leary has ticked off one of the goals she wanted to achieve before turning 30 — attending her first international pageant.
“We were all up until probably midnight every single night and then 2am, trying to get ourselves ready for the next day ... hair sorted, outfits organised.”
They also toured Malaysia and Singapore “cuddling” Siberian Huskies at The Huskitory and saw the Merlion.
The contestants did a gift exchange to tell each other about their cultures, for which O’Leary bought some mud masks from Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa.
Before the pageant, she raised funds for her gowns and secured sponsorship. Her “biggest help” was Rotorua Rotary, who sponsored her $1000.
O’Leary and her sister made her national costume “from scratch”.
Next stop: Miami
Born and raised in Rotorua, O’Leary works full-time as a dental nurse and does modelling.
She has been invited to go to Miami in May for casting for Miami Swim Week.
“I’m very excited ... I burst into tears when I saw it.”
She understands she is the first New Zealander to be asked to attend.
O’Leary said if she wasn’t cast, she would spend a week on holiday.
If she was cast, it would be a “week of fashion shows really, in swimwear”.
She also helped Love Soup in Rotorua — a charity that provides food for people in need — and at Linton Park whānau days, which offered children’s games.
“I go out there to kind of be a pretty princess to show different types of things that they can do.”
This included sports, modelling, pageantry, and dancing, she said.
Rotorua model Kiara O’Leary placed second in Miss Tourism Worldwide in Singapore and Malaysia in March 2025.
O’Leary — a ballerina for 11 years — also planned to visit Rotorua intermediate schools for ballet and hip-hop dance lessons with students.
She reckoned pageanting was her foot in the door to paid modelling.
The former Miss Rotorua Foundation mentor said she most enjoyed the ability to change someone’s perspective and confidence with pageantry and modelling.
She said pageants were “not all about beauty these days”.
“It’s also about brains and the way you stand confidently and proudly for yourself. It’s pretty much women empowerment.”
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
