‘Half a Century’: Tongan mother breaks barriers in historic pageant win

Melevaisita Kaufusi Toutai never imagined she would become a pageant queen at 49.

Growing up in a conservative Tongan household in Tokomololo village on Tongatapu, there were strict religious expectations - like not being allowed to play basketball because the uniform skirts were deemed too short.

Now, the mother of five has made history as the first Pasifika woman crowned Mrs Universal World VIP New Zealand.

Speaking on Pacific Days, Toutai believes it is a monumental victory that shatters both stereotypes and cultural boundaries.

"I’ll be 50 next year, half a century," Toutai laughs.

"As a Tongan lady, I never believed in myself that I could do it. I already know I’m old...but everything is easy if you put your mind and your strength into it."

Watch Melevaisita Toutai's full interview on Pacific Days below.

Breaking the mold

A former captain of the Tongan National Women’s Volleyball team, Toutai moved to Aotearoa in 1999.

Since then, much of her life has focused on faith, family, church, and raising her five children whose ages range from 17 to 24.

She says entering a pageant was never part of the plan. When a church friend encouraged her to enter, Toutai and her husband both hesitated.

Melevaisita Toutai (far right) with other Miss Aotearoa 2025 contestants. Photo/Facebook/Jay Hughes Portraits

“My husband said, ‘No hon, look at me and look at you. We can’t do it. We’re old’,” Toutai recalls.

But after praying about it, her husband became one of her biggest supporters, cheering loudly from the crowd on the night she won the title.

Redefining beauty platforms

The competition Toutai conquered is part of a global movement of international beauty and empowerment pageants designed specifically for married, divorced, widowed, or accomplished women.

The Mrs Universal World VIP NZ title is seemingly an off-shoot of local platforms like the Mrs Aotearoa pageant.

Previous winners of this specific title have overwhelmingly been of non-Māori and non-Pacific descent.

Toutai’s crowning marks a departure from the status quo while also highlighting a complex lingering tension within modern pageantry.

Melevaisita Toutai. Photo/Facebook

The Pacific pageant circuit has long faced scrutiny over colourism and rigid adherence to Eurocentric beauty ideals that sideline women of deeper complexions.

While Toutai herself is fair-skinned, her victory as Tongan woman is still a distinct disruption of a historically exclusive mold.

Behind the glamour, the former athlete was an exhausting exercise in discipline, balancing early morning runs and a strict diet with her primary duties as a mother and church member.

"Behind the curtain, sometimes I felt like giving up because of the time frame," she says. "But motherhood, that’s my first responsibility. I have to finish that at home before going out there to do what I love.”

Her message to Pacific mothers watching her journey, “Believe in yourself and you can do it. You [won’t be] alone with our Heavenly Father.”

Now preparing to represent New Zealand at the Miss Universal World in Hong Kong next year, Toutai says she hopes her story encourages Pacific mothers to believe in themselves, regardless of age or circumstance.