More than meets the eye to Miss New Zealand finalist

Zaley Tamihana-Brown with Kustom (Isn't her horse tho)

FROM donning gumboots to feed her farm animals to putting on scrubs for lab work to strutting her stuff in high heels on the catwalk
. . . Tolaga Bay woman Zaley Tamihana-Brown is not your stereotypical “beauty queen” . The Miss New Zealand 2023 finalist spoke with Local Focus reporter Renae Lolohea about her experiences, passions and, of course, pageants.

Zaley Tamihana-Brown's whānau couldn't believe it when she told them she was going to give pageants a go.

“They laughed so hard, especially my brother and my dad,” said the 26-year-old, who grew up in a farming family of seven and has lived in communities such as Muriwai, Manutuke, Tolaga Bay and Cape Runaway.

“My family isn't used to seeing me wearing make-up or high heels. One time my dad was like ‘whose that' because he didn't realise it was me.”

Mastering high heels took a bit of practice and coaching, she admitted, conjuring up an image of Sandra Bullock in the hit movie Miss Congeniality.

“I did fall over quite a lot. It took me watching lots of videos and being coached to be able to strut my stuff on the runway.”

As a shy child, Zaley saw pageants as an opportunity to grow her confidence after noticing other pageant contestants' personal growth.

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

“The audience is smaller. The judgement and the negative comments that come from doing pageants are a bit smaller.”

Her first pageant was Miss Asia Pacific International in 2019. She was awarded Miss Mia Belle, 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 greater exposure and critiques.

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

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

Tamihana-Brown tries to turn negative online comments into positives.

“I'm not perfect. I have flaws and I'm OK with those flaws. People saying negative things to me — who have never met me — I take their negative comments with a grain of salt.”

In the Miss New Zealand pageant, the main category is the interview — by a panel of judges — and charity work such as raising funds and awareness of your chosen charity.

Zaley's chosen charity is Brave, an organisation 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, along with newer sections like social media, where a contestant is judged on their ability to promote the show and themselves to get votes.

Zaley 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 be able to relate to me, and hopefully draw some inspiration and motivation.”

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

That experience inspired her to enrol in nursing. She spent two years in Dunedin Hospital working on a surgical ward then returned home to Gisborne to look after her grandmother who was diagnosed with cancer in 2020.

Zaley continued her studies 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.

“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 is also passionate about promoting the positive sides 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.

The final of Miss New Zealand is being held at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna on June 18.

■ To find out more about Zaley's Miss New Zealand journey, follow Zaley Tamihana-Brown - Miss New Zealand Finalist 2023 on