Miss Pacific Islands

Miss Pacific Islands Pageant
Formation1987 (1987)
TypeBeauty Pageant
HeadquartersApia, Samoa
Official language
English
Owners
Government of Samoa
Websitewww.misspacificislands.org


Pageant History

The Miss South Pacific pageant was established in 1987 by the Government of Samoa as a regional event to recognize and promote the attributes intelligence, and talents of Pacific Islands' women, their contributions to regional affairs and their ability to advance in diverse fields. The first Miss South Pacific Pageant, hosted in Western Samoa was held in 1987 & American Samoa representative, Juliette Spencer, was crowned as the first Miss South Pacific and the first Samoan to do so. Tahiti was the first nation to won a Back-To-Back victory in the Pageant's History, winning the first Miss South Pacific title for Tahiti in 1989 by Retire Chevaux & 1990 by Henari Arauva'a. Cook Islands is in record of holding the most Title Reign in the Pageant's History winning 8 titles altogether within 22 years, winning their first Miss South Pacific title by Kimiora Vogel in 1992 and Teuira Napa as their last Miss South Pacific winner in 2013 as of today. Samoa & American Samoa has each representatives from their overseas communities who won the title like Miss Samoa Hawaii, Theresa Purcell in 1988 & Miss Samoa NZ, Julia Toevai in 1992 and they're the only titleholders to won from their country's respective communities from abroad rather than their homeland. Samoa started competing in the Pageant as Western Samoa and changed its name to Samoa in 1997. The pageant started off with a close to 20+ contestants representing their homelands and their homeland communities overseas (such as Samoa Hawaii, Cook Islands NZ, Niue Australia, etc.) until the year 2000, the pageant allowed South Pacific Islanders contestants wishing to represent their homeland communities abroad has to compete in their homeland pageants first & win in order to enter the Miss South Pacific Pageant and the contestants number dropped in the following year in 2001.

The Pageant was held in different island nations in the Pacific as voted by the Pageant's Board Members and Samoa had host the most Miss South Pacific/ Pacific Islands Pageant for more than 10+ years. American Samoa, Cook Islands & Samoa are the only islands who'd competed in the Pageant for the longest time and also the Top 3 island nations who've won Title. Many Islands & Territories who've competed before has been absent from the Pageant in years such as Aotearoa(NZ), Hawaiian Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Marianas, Rapa Nui, Tokelau & Vanuatu. Fiji won their first Miss South Pacific title in 2009 by Merewalesi Nailatikau and she became the first Melanesian woman to captured the title. In 2014, the pageant was renamed Miss Pacific Islands in order to represent the entire Pacific Region instead of just the South Pacific. Teuira Napa of the Cook Islands was the last to reign as Miss South Pacific & Latafale Auva'a of Samoa was the first to reign as Miss Pacific Islands. Latafale Auva’a was the only Miss Pacific Islands who’ve held multiple Pageant title during her reign as Miss Pacific Islands which includes Miss Samoa NZ, Miss Samoa & Miss World Samoa. In 2015, Latafale Auva'a sets out to compete for the 2015 Miss World Pageant before the 2015 Miss Pacific Islands Pageant held at Rarotonga, Cook Islands and the former Miss South Pacific 2013 Teuira Napa was given the honor to crown the 2015 Miss Pacific Islands which was won by Abigail Havora winning the first Miss Pacific Islands title for Papua New Guinea.

In a history making decision made by the Miss Pacific Islands committee and board, it was announced that there will be no the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant for the year of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The current reigning Miss Pacific Islands and Miss Samoa 2019/2020 Fonoifafo McFarland-Seumanu will be the first and only Miss Pacific Islands to hold the crown and title for two consecutive years in the entire history of the pageant.

Title Holders
Year Country/Territory Name Hosting Country Entrants
2019  Samoa Fonoifafo Nancy McFarland-Seumanu Papua New Guinea 12
2018  Papua New Guinea Leoshina Mercy Kariha Tonga 6
2017  American Samoa Matauaina Gwendolyn To’omalatai Fiji 9
2016  Fiji Anne Christine Dunn Samoa 8
2015  Papua New Guinea Abigail Havora Cook Islands 8
2014  Samoa Latafale Auva'a Samoa 8
2013  Cook Islands Teuira Napa Solomon Islands 10
2012  Samoa Janine Nicky Tuivaiti American Samoa 10
2011  Fiji Alisi Rabukawaqa Samoa 9
2010  Cook Islands Joyanna Mennie Meyer Papua New Guinea 11
2009  Fiji Merewalesi Nailatikau Fiji 10
2008  Niue Vanessa Marsh American Samoa 8
2007  Tonga Tessi Leila Toluta’u Samoa 8
2006  Cook Islands Krystina Kauvai Samoa 7
2005  Cook Islands Dorothea George Tonga 7
2004  Niue Sinahemana Hekau American Samoa 7
2003  Cook Islands Janice Nicholas Samoa 6
2002  American Samoa Lupe Ane Kenape Aumavae Cook Islands 7
2001  Samoa Manamea Apelu Samoa 6
2000  American Samoa Helen Afatasi Burke American Samoa 13
1999  Cook Islands Liana Scott Tonga 11
1998  Samoa Cheri Robinson Samoa 11
1997  Samoa Mary-Jane Mckibbin New Zealand 13
1996  Western Samoa Verona Ah Ching Samoa 13
1995  American Samoa Rochelle Rowena Tuitele Tonga 17
 Tonga Ma'ata Moungaloa
1994  Cook Islands Tarita Brown Samoa 11
1993  American Samoa Leilua Stevenson American Samoa 14
1992 Samoa New Zealand Julia Toevai Samoa unknown
1991  Cook Islands Kimiora Vogel Samoa unknown
1990  Tahiti Henari Arauva’a Cook Islands unknown
1989  Tahiti Retire Chevaux Samoa unknown
1988  Samoa Hawaii Theresa Purcell Samoa unknown
1987  American Samoa Juliette Caroline Spencer Samoa unknown

Country Winners Ranking
Rank Country Titles Year
1st  Cook Islands 8 1991, 1994, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2013
2nd  Samoa 7 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2012, 2014, 2019
3rd  American Samoa 6 1987, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2017
4th  Fiji 3 2009, 2011, 2016
5th  Papua New Guinea 2 2015, 2018
5th  Niue 2004, 2008
5th  Tonga 1995, 2007
5th  Tahiti 1989, 1990
6th  Samoa New Zealand 1 1992
6th  Samoa Hawaii 1988
  • Miss Pacific Islands 2019
    Fonoifafo Nancy McFarland-Seumanu
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss Pacific Islands 2018
    Leoshina Mercy Kariha
    Miss Papua New Guinea
  • Miss Pacific Islands 2017
    Matauaina Gwendolyn To’omalatai
    Miss American Samoa
  • Miss Pacific Islands 2016
    Anne Christine Dunn
    Miss Fiji
  • Miss Pacific Islands 2015
    Abigail Havora
    Miss Papua New Guinea
  • Miss Pacific Islands 2014
    Latafale Auva'a
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 2013
    Teuira Napa
    Miss Cook Islands
  • Miss South Pacific 2012
    Janine Nicky Tuivaiti
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 2011
    Alisi Rabukawaqa
    Miss Fiji
  • Miss South Pacific 2010
    Joyanna Mennie Meyer
    Miss Cook Islands
  • Miss South Pacific 2009
    Merewalesi Nailatikau
    Miss Fiji
  • Miss South Pacific 2008
    Vanessa Marsh
    Miss Niue
  • Miss South Pacific 2007
    Tessi Leila Toluta’u
    Miss Tonga
  • Miss South Pacific 2005 & 2006
    Dorothea George & Krystina Kauvai
    Miss Cook Islands
  • Miss South Pacific 2004
    Sinahemana Hekau
    Miss Niue
  • Miss South Pacific 2003
    Janice Nicholas
    Miss Cook Islands
  • Miss South Pacific 2002
    Lupe Ane Kenape Aumavae
    Miss American Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 2001
    Manamea Apelu
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 1999
    Liana Scott
    Miss Cook Islands
  • Miss South Pacific 1998
    Cheri Robinson
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 1997
    Mary-Jane Mckibbin
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 1996
    Verona Ah Ching
    Miss Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 1993
    Leilua Stevenson
    Miss American Samoa
  • Miss South Pacific 1992
    Julia Toevai
    Miss Samoa New Zealand
  • Miss South Pacific 1987
    Juliette Caroline Spencer
    Miss American Samoa

References
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