Miss Pacific Islands

Miss Pacific Islands Pageant

Formation	1987 (1987)
Type	Beauty Pageant
Headquarters	Apia, Samoa
Official language	English
Owners	Government of Samoa
Website	www.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

Winners Gallery

• 
  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