Engineering student takes on Miss NZ

"I want to push women into technology." Tuljai Parkar

A Palmerston North woman is swapping books for glitz and glam at Miss Universe New Zealand.

Tuljai Parkar, 21, is in her fourth year of engineering study at Massey University, Albany, having completed three years at the Palmerston North campus before moving for a change of scenery.

Hitting the books hard in her final year, Parkar decided to challenge herself further by entering the pageant to show that women could do more than just cook and clean, she said.

Having male classmates who had teased her for studying engineering, Parkar wanted to inspire women from all walks of life to push themselves. ‘‘I’ve had to deal with a lot of sexism.’’ One classmate had told her women should cook, not study engineering.

‘‘I want to push women into technology.

‘‘I want to promote girls in this field through this pageant.’’

Parkar is one of 20 finalists selected from more than 200 entrants.

One of the requirements from the finalists is that they raise money for Variety – the Children’s Charity.

Parkar plans to hold four fundraisers, two in Palmerston north and two in Auckland, aiming to raise $10,000.

She hopes to hold events in Palmerston North by the end of June, but she has not confirmed what the fundraisers will be.

Miss Universe NZ general counsel Jack Yan said the most money raised by one contestant so far was $8531.

The entrepreneurial fundraising challenge gave contestants the chance to make business contacts and learn organisational skills that would help them in the future, he said.

So far, since Yan and executive director Nigel Godfrey took over the pageant five years ago, $105,000 has been raised for Variety.

‘‘Setting them on the path of the challenge itself enables them to stretch their mental muscles,’’ Yan said.

Contestants could be between 18 and 28, but the average age of the finalists this year was 21 to 22, he said.

Focusing heavily on the entrepreneurial challenge rather than having contestants meet weekly for dance and onstage practice, which other pageants did, gave the competition a modern spin, Yan said.

‘‘The old formula doesn’t work.’’