September 29, 2020
Beauty pageant a plus for Rotorua radio host
The winner of Miss Rotorua 2020 sees it as an opportunity to change the perception of Māori beauty.
Atutahi Potaka-Dewes is a radio host for Te Arawa FM.
The kapa haka performer says growing up, the most glamorous women in her life were her kuias, aunties, and her mum.
"Entering into the pageant, my purpose was breaking down those barriers of what a stereotypical beauty queen should look like. I think in this day beauty is represented in so many shapes and sized so my journey through this pageant was to promote te ao Māori, promote our young wāhine Māori and promote beauty in all its forms," she says.
Atutahi Potaka-Dewes' share of the $31,000 prize was donated to Rotorua's Linton Park Community Centre, which offers programmes for women's mental health.
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