Now Auckland-based student nurse and part-time rest-home healthcare assistant Emily Faulkner has been named as one of the Miss New Zealand 2025 finalists.
She will compete for the crown in Auckland on July 11.
Miss Faulkner said she was feeling a mix of emotions.
"Coming from Mosgiel, I never thought this would actually happen to me."
There were 10 finalists in the competition and the women were on "quite a fun little adventure" together, she said.
"It’s so exciting, but at the same time, it’s quite a time-consuming competition."
Miss Faulkner grew up in Mosgiel and went to Taieri College before making the move north.
She said she had a lot on her plate to juggle. She was at the point of her nursing studies at the University of Auckland where she was doing eight-hour placement shifts four to five days a week in hospitals, all the while going home to complete assignments.
On top of that, she was also working part-time in a rest-home as a healthcare provider.
"I’ve had a lot of people ask ‘how do you manage it?’. And I’m like, ‘ah, I don’t, I just kind of do it’."
In the lead-up to the competition, she and the other contestants would be supporting two charities, the Girls Brigade No 1 Squadron in Auckland and Canine Friends Pet Therapy, Miss Faulkner said.
She would be running a charity event for Canine Friends Pet Therapy in the coming weeks.
She had a soft spot for the organisation as it often brought dogs into the rest-home where she worked.
When they brought the dogs in, you could see the happiness on the faces of the residents, she said.
"Something so small goes so far for them because I’ve watched the everyday pattern in rest-homes, and people can get bored."
She said many in rest-homes could forget they still had a life they were living, and the smiles on the residents’ faces when the dogs came in were "honestly priceless".
As part of the pageant, she was raising awareness and supporting three more causes.
They were mental health, diversity and awareness around the "pink tax".
"When mental health is talked about, I don’t see it carried through enough — even though there’s so many of us around, people are still feeling alone, and I don’t think that’s noticed enough."
She said mental health was related to everything, including diversity.
"Whether it’s cultural, physical, personal, we’re all different, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to be different."
She also wanted to see the end of the pink tax — she said the purple women’s disposable razor with fewer blades than the men’s equivalent had no business being more expensive.
"A lot of people do think pageants are just about the glitz and the glam, but it’s so much more than that."
Miss Faulkner said Mosgiel and Dunedin gave her the strength and foundations to go for her goals.
"Growing up in this beautiful city surrounded by nature, strong values and a caring community has shaped me into the person I am today.
"Now I want to make our community proud by using this platform I’ve been given for good."
