Interview with Miss World Aotearoa New Zealand 2024, Navjot Kaur

Lucire

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

Transcript

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]

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