Miss New Zealand World 2009 - Miss Madgalena Elizabeth

The 18-year old beauty therapist from Christchurch, was crowned Miss World New Zealand during an event held at the Dorothy Winstone Centre on 25th April.

Magdalena, who also works as a model, stands 1.73 m tall, and will represent the country at the Miss World 2009 pageant in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 13th.

Miss New Zealand World2008 - Miss Kahurangi Taylor

Miss Kahurangi, Julia TAYLOR

Age: 17 Height: 180

Languages: English & Maori

Kahurangi grew up in Waiuku, South Auckland.

The Maori name for New Zealand is Aoteuroa, which means Land of the Long White Cloud in Maori, this is because when it was first discovered it was covered in low fog & cloud.

Kahurangi has just completed her NCEA levels 1 & 2; her ambition is to attend the Waikato University and to qualify as a Psychiatrist.

Sporting and leisure interests are: Tennis; netball; outrigger canoeing; painting; listening to hip hop & R&B; playing piano; reading (favourite book is ‘Whale Rider' by Witi Ihimaera); dancing the ‘Kapa Haka' (more commonly known as the Maori war dance): and she enjoys eating ice cream.

Her special motto is "Whiai te iti Kahurangi, ki te tuohu, koe me maunga teitei", "Follow your wildest aspirations and bow only to the loftiest mountain".