“Miss N.Z.” is Not Another Beauty Contest

Wanganui Chronicle, 3 October 1947, Page 7

“Miss N.Z.” is Not Another Beauty Contest

The four judges in the Miss New Zealand quest will look for something more in candidates than a pretty face, said one of the judges, Miss Iris Crooke, M.8.E., honorary director of New Zealand Red Cross V.A.D.’s

Miss Crooke said that throughout the North Island she had found a widespread misapprehension of the object and method of conducting the quest.

“Too many people think it is just another beauty contest, with the prettiest face to be decided by popular vote,” she said. “They are surprised when I tell them that intellectual and cultural qualifications are just as important, and that the selection will be made on the basis of merit alone. “Our job is to find a girl who can worthily represent our country among the many different kinds of people she will meet in her round-the-world trip,” £aid Miss Crooke. Though final arrangements for judging the entrants in the Miss New Zealand quest cannot be made until after entries close on October 11. an outline of the judging programme was agreed upon by the honorary board of directors of the quest at a recent meeting. ' . , . „ All the South Island girls in the quest will be judged at Christchurch on October 15. IS, 17 and 18. The North Island girls will be judged on October 20, 21 and 2- a. Wanganui. , The district winners will go to Wellington for the selection of the finalist on October 31, and the name of the winner will be announced at a function in th c Wellington Town Hal! on the night of November 5. It had originally been intended to send the four judges around New Zealand to see the various entrants at their nearest towns, the executive director of the quest, Mr. K. W. Kilpatrick. explained, but transport difficulties and the need for fuel economy with aircraft made that impossible. The girls would therefore be brought to the judges, instead of the judges going to the girls.