NZ beauty pageant winner Shanaz Deendost wants to give back

Shanaz Deendost has been named Miss Five Crowns New Zealand. Photo/Supplied

An Afghani immigrant determined to give back to her new home has taken out top honours in a New Zealand beauty pageant.

Shanaz Deendost was awarded Miss Five Crowns New Zealand on Saturday night, a title she is humbled to receive.

It was a double win for Deendost - not only did she bear the Miss Five Crowns honour, but she was the first Afghan woman to receive the title.

Deendost says that she feels proud when she looks back on what she has achieved for the country that gave her hope to rise and shine again.

"I believe as immigrants or refugees we should always be thankful for the chances and opportunities are given to us to rebuild our lives and in doing so, we should never forget that when stable enough we need to consider giving back. I have done much charity work with different organizations in NZ."

Deendost has recently worked with the homeless, Youthline and Sommerville Special School in Panmure.

"I do this usually on my birthday, they say do what makes you happy on your special day and this makes me the happiest girl in the world."

Cummings says that having an Afghan winner was a special opportunity for the pageant.

"We were blown away by Shanaz's story, and learning about her country and culture was very special for us."

Glitz and glamour is not what fuels Miss Five Crowns New Zealand, with the pageant pushing the importance of giving back to their community. This year Miss Five Crowns fundraised on behalf of Youthline, with half of the funds going to the charity.

Each contestant is at the pageant to promote their own message, and professionals work closely with the women in order to make them feel empowered. They are taught how to gain confidence, increase their self-esteem and help them feel accepted as who they are throughout their time with Five Crowns.

Miss Five Crowns CEO Pam Cummings describes the beauty contest as "a pageant with substance."

Although the pageant is a competition, Cummings says that they don't believe in public or online voting.

"We want the individual to bring to the competition what they can, as this is the best way to learn about themselves."

As Miss Five Crowns 2017 Deendost, now has the opportunity to travel to pageants worldwide.

Deedost's predecessor, Johannah Prasad, is currently in Cambodia representing New Zealand at Miss Global, and Deendost is expected to follow in her footsteps.

Cummings says that Deendost will not only be wearing the silver fern on an international stage, but as Miss Five Crowns New Zealand, it will be her job to teach people about New Zealand culture, and help put New Zealand on the map.

Miss Five Crowns New Zealand will also be going international themselves, with a planned "Legacy Tour" later this year.

Cummings says that no other pageant in New Zealand has done a Legacy Tour before, but the tour is not about promotion. Consistent to the Miss Five Crowns message, the former Five Crowns winners and contestants will be doing charity work overseas in poverty-stricken areas.

There are plans to run the tour annually.