Navjot Kaur was crowned Miss World New Zealand earlier this month, and is now in India representing Aotearoa at Miss World.
Before she flew out, she sat down for a one-on-one TV interview.
Full story at https://lucire.com/insider/20240225/get-to-know-navjot-kaur-miss-world-aotearoa-new-zealand-2024
Before she flew out, she sat down for a one-on-one TV interview.
Full story at https://lucire.com/insider/20240225/get-to-know-navjot-kaur-miss-world-aotearoa-new-zealand-2024
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PeopleTranscript
00:00 Just before she left New Zealand for India, we sat down in Auckland with the
00:05 new Miss World New Zealand Aotearoa, Navjot Kaur, for a one-on-one interview.
00:11 Navjot, have you ever done anything like this before?
00:15 No, I haven't. I haven't done any pageants or anything like this.
00:20 It was a pretty fast-track journey, but you still competed against 15 others
00:27 and you beat your sister. Why do you think you won?
00:32 I actually don't know why I won, but I think because all the girls were really good.
00:37 They had really good backgrounds and everything, and even in the catwalks,
00:43 the dancing as well, everyone was good. But I think it's how you relate to people, maybe.
00:50 And how did you feel, judging by this, did you feel like, "Oh, I might have hit a mark here"?
00:57 Yeah, I think after the interview, when I talked to all of the judges,
01:01 it just felt like a conversation where I got to put out my opinion,
01:07 and they actually listened and questioned on what I think and where I stand.
01:13 And I think that's how I related to the judges.
01:16 And I did go out and I told everyone, I was like, "My interview was great."
01:22 Is that important to you? Is that part of you being in something like this really important to you?
01:29 Yes, I think aspiring other women as well, other young girls, it's very important,
01:35 especially from the culture I come from. I think a lot of girls shy away from platforms like this.
01:41 I think it's important for them to get out and do what they want to do.
01:46 So what do you think that you can do with the platform?
01:52 I think I can make people aware that beauty does serve many purposes.
01:57 I've done quite a few things in my life. I've got a degree. I've become a police officer.
02:03 I'm a personal trainer and a real estate agent.
02:06 And I think now, with the Miss World New Zealand title, I feel like it's given me the opportunity
02:11 to show people that you don't just have to follow one pathway.
02:16 If you don't like it, or if you want to try something new,
02:19 you should always put yourself outside of your comfort zone.
02:23 You're a Kiwi, but maybe not from what other Kiwis would think of as the traditional Kiwi Indian background.
02:33 Tell us a bit about your background.
02:36 Yeah, so growing up, I grew up in a state house.
02:39 It's not a typical Indian family or a Punjabi family you come from.
02:44 People would look at us and be like, "Oh, they're Indian, so they're probably well off."
02:47 Or, "They come from a good background. They have everything."
02:52 That was not the case. I was raised by a solo mum, and we lived in a state house.
02:58 So that's where I think we related to a lot of Kiwi kids, because we were Kiwi kids ourselves.
03:08 And our neighbours were all Māori, Pacific Islanders, Cook Islanders, no Indians around us.
03:15 So, yeah, growing up was quite different.
03:19 So, your upbringing and what you've gone through,
03:23 is that what makes you kind of have this underlying feeling of wanting to give back?
03:30 Yes, so my upbringing is the biggest thing why I want to give back as well.
03:35 I joined the police because I wanted to help people.
03:39 But this platform, I think, will give me the opportunity to touch more hearts
03:45 and help more families and girls to show them that they can do anything.
03:51 I've come from a state house, so you don't have to have barriers.
03:56 I mean, it's a lot of blame that you want to give back, but how do you actually think you'll do it?
04:01 So I'm a Kids Can ambassador now, which is very close to what I believe in.
04:07 They provide food for schools.
04:10 People that are living in poverty, Desau 1 schools to Desau 3 schools,
04:16 they provide brain jackets and warm jackets for kids that don't have jackets
04:21 and shoes for kids that don't have shoes.
04:24 I think that's very important, because growing up in Manurewa,
04:29 I did notice whenever I used to go to school,
04:31 there were some kids that didn't wear, have shoes or have jackets.
04:35 And I think it's really important and it really aligns with the morals I hold.
04:40 And I think I would be a great ambassador because I would get out there on the field
04:45 and actually help out.
04:47 Are you looking forward to that part of the journey?
04:50 I think I'm most excited about that part.
04:54 I feel like I'll go into communities where I belonged and then I would give back.
04:59 And I think it would be an opportunity for me to show people that I've come from the same place
05:05 and I've done this, so can you?
05:08 Do you think Kiwis get what's going on in their own backyard?
05:13 Do you think people know? I mean, you've seen it.
05:15 You've lived in that community.
05:17 You've seen people who haven't got much, who haven't got food.
05:21 But do you think Kiwis really get it?
05:24 I don't think all of them do.
05:26 Being in the police as well, I used to hear it over and over again from some of my colleagues,
05:33 saying that they get the benefit, they get this, and they're not doing anything with their lives.
05:38 They're provided with everything.
05:39 They should get out of that cycle and everything.
05:42 I'm like, if you're not helping them, how are they going to get out?
05:46 Yeah, you're putting an institution there.
05:49 Go check your mental health. Go do this.
05:52 Do you know how they'll get there? No.
05:54 Do you know what underlies, like, if they've got kids?
05:58 And I feel like people don't look at the background of things.
06:03 Whenever we used to jump onto a crime scene or arrest people,
06:09 I used to always think you should look at why that person is doing that,
06:14 where that behaviour is coming from.
06:17 And I feel like a lot of Kiwis don't notice that.
06:19 So they all have, not all, most of them have this stereotypical mindset
06:26 that they're not doing anything, they're not helping themselves, so why should we?
06:30 But I believe that you need to get out there and always start from the bottom-up approach.
06:35 Never go from top up and be like, here's an institution, go to school, go to uni.
06:41 There's always things behind going there that makes it.
06:46 I mean, you've done a lot of things.
06:48 You've entered this now and you've been in the police, real estate agent, personal trainer.
06:55 You're young. Have you thought about politics?
06:59 No. At one point I did, actually.
07:02 When I was younger, when I used to go to high school, I think it was year 11,
07:06 I was like, I'm going to become the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
07:10 But no, not seriously, no, I haven't thought about it.
07:13 Stranger things have happened.
07:14 Yeah.
07:16 All right, let's go on to Miss World.
07:19 You're heading off there tomorrow.
07:22 Yes.
07:23 119 other contestants and an audience of over a billion.
07:32 Yeah.
07:32 Are you nervous?
07:34 I'm actually not nervous.
07:35 I feel like I'm just going to go give it my all and be myself
07:39 because I've always noticed with myself, whenever I've set something in life,
07:45 I've always tried to do the best I can in it and achieve what I can.
07:51 But yeah, the nerves haven't hit me.
07:53 I think once I'm on the plane, it will be, yeah.
07:56 I mean, this is a competition, this is a platform.
07:58 What is it for you?
07:59 It's not a competition.
08:01 I think I said that in my interview as well.
08:02 I don't think it's a competition.
08:04 I think it's a platform where women will come from different countries,
08:07 different backgrounds and bring a lot of extraordinary things
08:12 and offer a lot of things that I will get to learn from it.
08:16 The whole world will get to learn from it and show people that it's not just about beauty.
08:21 There is always a purpose.
08:23 There's always giving back to community.
08:25 Do you and the family ever stop, pinch yourself and think, "Is this real?"
08:32 Yeah, I think there's a lot of moments in between when we're doing stuff,
08:37 like getting everything ready.
08:39 I think there's moments where we sit down as a family and we just take it all in
08:44 and say it's happening, like it's actually happening.
08:47 I am going to Miss World to represent New Zealand.
08:52 It is overwhelming though.
08:54 And how are the family feeling about it?
08:57 How's your sister feeling about it?
08:58 Because she entered too.
09:00 She came third.
09:01 Yeah, so she's actually a great support.
09:03 She's actually done everything for me.
09:07 Because I've been doing other things, she's been packing my stuff,
09:11 showing me what to wear and everything.
09:13 Because she's always been more of the fashion person out of us,
09:18 she used to always be on point.
09:22 She's helped me a lot.
09:24 I would put my makeup on a certain way, just basically just put blusher on and everything,
09:28 but she's the one that does it properly and she's bought me all this stuff
09:32 and she's like, "You have to put this on, this on, this on."
09:34 And she's been a great support.
09:36 So you've got quite a unique X-factor here, to add it to your story,
09:44 in that you have Indian heritage.
09:48 And although you were born, you were brought up in New Zealand,
09:50 you couldn't be more Kiwi.
09:53 How do you think that added X-factor of you having Indian heritage
09:58 is going to go for you in India, where the grand final is?
10:02 I think it will be great, actually.
10:04 I think it will be an opportunity where I could actually tell some of the other contestants
10:09 of what traditions we hold.
10:12 It will be because I know the place, I know how people are and everything.
10:18 I think I'll be a helpful person with all the other contestants as well.
10:23 And I think, yeah, I think India will invite me with open arms as well,
10:32 because they're always... but they're welcoming to anyone, to be honest.
10:38 So there are going to be other young Kiwi wahine watching this and thinking,
10:47 "Should I enter Miss World New Zealand next time?
10:50 Should I, shouldn't I?"
10:52 What would you say to them?
10:53 I would say yes.
10:54 I would say definitely do it.
10:56 Even if you're a shy person, I would say just come out there and try it,
11:00 because you will learn something, you know, and you would make great friends.
11:04 Like, we were only here for two days, and we've made quite a few friends
11:08 that we're still in touch with.
11:11 I think it will be a great experience, first of all.
11:14 And second of all, you don't know if you're going to win, you know?
11:18 You could bring something so extraordinary to the platform that, you know,
11:23 you could achieve the title.
11:26 So, yeah, I think I would say just go for it.
11:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]