Miss Pacific Island quest

Miss Papua New Guinea, Grace Nugi, has finished as the fourth runner-up in the Miss Pacific Islands pageant. The winner was Miss Samoa, Latafale Auva’a, who was crowned at a glittering ceremony in Apia, Samoa, late last year.

The 28th annual pageant, re-named for 2014 from Miss South Pacific to Miss Pacific Islands, promotes the attributes, intelligence and talents of young Pacific island women.

Over the years, the pageant has evolved into a platform offering advice and assistance to young women of the Pacific in their advancement as ambassadors of the region.

Miss Papua New Guinea is a 24-year-old biology graduate from the University of Papua New Guinea and a research intern with the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“I believe that education for women is a vital means of empowerment and key to breaking the cycle of gender-based violence in developing countries, including our own Pacific islands,” she says.

“I am also passionate about environmental conservation, including issues such as climate change and its impact on rising sea levels.”

Miss Pacific Islands, 20, has a passion for education and says she will put her law/ music degree at New Zealand’s University of Otago on hold during her one-year reign so she can promote educational opportunities in Samoa.

Next year’s pageant will be in the Cook Islands. ■

Flying high: Miss Papua New Guinea, Grace Nugi, on board with Air Niugini (above); with the other contestants in Samoa (top); and proudly wearing her Miss PNG sash (right).