Wednesday 6 September 2017

Miss Rotorua and other beauty contests of the 1960's and 1970's

Beauty Pageants of the 1960s

Miss New Zealand 
Miss Bay of Plenty
Miss Rotorua
Miss Geyserland > Miss Super Value (sponsored by Durrants) 
Miss Tourist Diamond
Miss South Seas

Rotorua Local Pageants 1960's & 1970's

Miss Blue Lake
Miss Ngongotaha
Mrs Ngongotaha
Miss Selwyn Heights
Miss Geyser Court
Miss Rose Queen
Miss Hot Rod
Miss Silver Plough
Miss Rotorua Photo News

Rotorua Photo News March 13th 1971 centre-fold,
Photograph by Richard Krall

Earlier Beauty Contests:

“Bathing beauty” contests were held during the Rotorua Carnival c.1941-advertised in the Bay of Plenty Beacon published 5th & 12th December 1941. Unfortunately we haven't got any photographs of this contest.

Miss New Zealand Contest of 1949 did not have a swimsuit category. By 1954 when Moana Manley won the title, swimsuits were definitely part of contest.  See the below video clips on NZ on Screen.


In 1976 three former Miss New Zealand winners fronted up for Max Cryer talk show Town Cryer — including a winner from the 1920's, who agreed to talk on condition her identity wasn’t revealed. The woman recalls her mother firmly turning down offers of travel to Hollywood. 1949 winner Mary ‘Bobbie’ Woodward agrees stamina was as important to the role as beauty. 1954 winner Moana Whaanga (nee Manley) was also a national swimming rep. After the show aired, Cryer heard from an earlier Māori winner, who in 1923 took away possibly the first Miss NZ title of all.