For 25-year-old Cherish Faamanu Manaia, the 2023 Miss Samoa Pageant was a long time coming and it was an opportunity she couldn't miss.

The eldest of five children and hailing from the villages of Malifa, Satupaitea, and Asau in Savai'i – the Christchurch resident currently works as a flight attendant for Air New Zealand and is the Miss Samoa New Zealand.

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Ms. Manaia recalled her longtime dream of contesting the pageant and how this year represented her best chance due to the age criteria.

"I decided to run this year, because not only was it a longtime dream of mine. But I saw that the cut-off age was 25 and I told myself [that] if not now then when?" she said. "The opportunity is right there so why not grab it with both hands while we can?

“The inspiration behind my participation in the pageant is to embrace her culture. I was raised and born here in Samoa. If we hadn't moved to New Zealand I would not have wanted to learn more of our culture and especially our language.

Describing her getting into this year's pageant as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", Ms. Manaia added that believing in God and family, anything is possible and she is proud to be a contestant.

“Going deeper into that is something I am very proud of right now because our culture is what differentiates us from the world and this is what pushed me out of my comfort zone bringing out more of who I am as a Tamaitai Samoa and encouraging our young ladies as well if they want to pursue this in the future.”

Ms. Manaia's passion lies in advocating for climate change and she says the effects of the climate crisis on Samoa and the rest of the Pacific Islands can be seen. With her participation in the 2023 Miss Samoa Pageant, she is keen on using the platform to educate the community on how they can participate in minimising the risks associated with climate change. 

Miss Samoa New Zealand described herself as an introvert by nature and added that running for Miss Samoa is far from her comfort zone, which is why when she initially stepped up to take on the challenge, her parents were worried. But she believed that she could do it and this resulted in her being crowned Miss Samoa New Zealand for 2023.

As the countdown begins to the start of the formal program next week, some of Ms. Manaia's best qualities lie in the fact that she engages very well with other people. Described as a people person, she also found it hard to talk about herself and could only say she could confidently speak to other people.