The reigning Miss Pacific Islands, Miss Abigail Havora, is ready to hand over her crown tonight to whoever is going to be the new Miss Pacific Islands. 

But before she bows out, the 25-year-old from the village of Gabagaba in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea wants to thank everyone who supported her during her reign. 

Reflecting on her journey, Ms. Havora said being an Ambassador for the Pacific region has been an eye-opener for her. 

“This journey has taught me so much about our region and culture,” she told the Samoa Observer. “I have learnt that as an Ambassador of the Pacific, it’s always vital to carry yourself well and be a great role model to our people, especially the younger generations. 

“It’s all about the representation of yourself. And during my reign I was given a lot of opportunities to be involved with a lot of projects.”

As the first Miss Papua New Guinea to be crowned Miss Pacific Islands, Ms. Havora said most of her role was based in her country. 

“I was given a lot of opportunities to give speeches to various audiences from young children up to government officials at the highest level. 

“I was also fortunate enough to have our Prime Minister’s wife as the patron for our local Pageant Committee. So she has taken me to a lot of events and given me so much exposure which provided me with a lot of opportunities to meet a lot of people. 

“I met a lot of different people and learned from them. As Miss Pacific Islands as well, I was able to see and observe how matters and issues in our countries and Pacific are dealt with.”

Ms. Havora said the highlight has to be her trips to various islands of the Pacific as a special guest for their local pageants.

“It was an amazing opportunity for me to see and witness how their pageants are done and in the process I learnt a lot about their culture because after all I am a Cultural Ambassador,” she said. 

“I’ve taken the experience and knowledge back with me to Papua New Guinea and the values I’ve learnt about their culture, I have applied it to my life, so that even though I am Papua New Guinean, as Miss Pacific Islands, that has really helped me to represent all the different cultural groups we have in the Pacific.” 

Tonight, Ms. Havora will crown whoever will win the title to be the new ambassador for the Pacific Region. And her message to all the contestants, and the new Miss Pacific Islands as well as the young ladies from all around the Pacific is simple. 

“Know your purpose,” she said. “As I have always said, my message will always have to be, stay true to your purpose, because purpose comes from God. Like I said earlier this week, if I gave you a spoon or a fork 1,000 years ago, would you know what it was for? Obviously no! You would use it as a weapon, but the original purpose is to eat with it. And that comes back to us. When we don’t know our purpose in life, we would be lost and confused. 

“But when we know our purpose, we live meaningful lives. And when we live meaningful lives, we impact others as well. And that has been my main message all throughout my reign. Find out your purpose in life and why God put you here on earth, because just by living out your purpose, you impact others as well. 

“We all have different purposes from God. And if you have a hard time finding your purpose, figure out something that you are passionate about. That passion will lead you to your purpose. 

“And you will be the change you wish to see because that’s how I live my life and it is working out well for me. That has also helped me with my reign.”