Q&A with Miss Rotorua 2021 winner Kogi So

Kogi So after being crowned Miss Rotorua 2021. Photo / David Rowe Photography

Last weekend Kogi So was crowned Miss Rotorua 2021. Kogi was born and raised in Hong Kong. Her parents are Chinese Indonesian. Happily married, her husband is Korean and they have two beautiful daughters. She works as a real estate agent with First National. This week Rotorua Weekender caught up with Kogi So about being crowned and her pageant journey.

How did you feel when your name was called out?

To be honest, I can't believe it. I felt astonished and emotional as I didn't think I would be crowned as Miss Rotorua 2021. Also my family and friends couldn't believe it and were so emotional when they announced my name.

You also received Miss Congeniality and Miss Social Media, how did that feel?

I feel so honoured to receive Miss Congeniality as it's vote by all the pageant sisters. I feel all the love from them. I totally forgot there is Miss Social Media, I thought at the beginning we all need to keep posting our journey and tag Miss Rotorua 2021, Gowns and Geysers and TVNZ On Demand for promoting this TV reality series. Posting our journey on social media was my main way to share my journey and inspire my overseas friends and family, so it was just an unexpected award.

What are you looking forward to and hoping to achieve as Miss Rotorua 2021?

I'm looking forward to contributing to the community and can't wait to receive the schedule of the year. I would like to inspire and empower migrant people to be brave and to get in the community, as I know most of us think we might not be welcomed and loved. I want to bring up the friendship between Chinese and Māori, Kiwi and even multicultural as we are all one, we are all human. I would like to pass the below message to the world: "No matter who you are, where you're from, your skin colour, gender identity, your job, your nationality, your language, we all deserve to be loved and to be respected, as long as you are being kind being true to yourself and others." My goal is to support and promote local business and local tourism. Due to the Covid pandemic there's been a lot of people who lost their jobs and their business, even facing financial crisis.
Also, to visit many schools and kindys, sending regards and love. Sending the message not to bully, but to care and love.

Why did you decide to enter Miss Rotorua 2021?

To be a role model to my two little girls and show them the most important is inner beauty, not judging a book by its cover no matter where they from, what they look like, what their job is, what language they speak. We all deserve to be loved and respected. I have been bullied by classmates in my childhood life. They laughed at me because I was fat, I didn't have confidence to make any friends and hid in the toilet every break time at school for almost five years. I don't want my girls go through what I have been through.
Also, to inspire migrant people to be brave and speak out for themselves, not to fight but for peace and respect. I want to let the public know how caring, loving and hard-working we are. We love New Zealand as our home.

What were some of the highlights from your pageant journey? What were some challenges?

Highlights from my pageant journey was the last two rehearsal days - the moment where we all struggled but we made it all together. Challenges were my language and time management to make a balance between my work, kids, housework and Miss Rotorua.

If you could give a piece of advice to our youth, what would it be?

Be kind, be true to yourself and others. Life is short, choose to live positively. Do your best and enjoy the journey rather than focusing on the result.