13 things about Miss World Oceania 2025 first runner-up Samantha Poole

Samantha Poole represented New Zealand in Miss International and Miss World. These are two of the six grand slam international beauty pageants for women along with Miss Universe, Miss Earth, Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International.

BIOGRAPHY

Poole is a South African-Kiwi digital content creator, model and beauty queen based in Whangārei, Northland Region, New Zealand. Having scoliosis made her overanalyze her body when she was young.

While reigning as Miss New Zealand 2024, Poole served as an an ambassador for the New Zealand charity Brave, which is focused on preventing sexual harm through education and awareness. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. She is originally from Pretoria, South Africa.
2. Her mother Denise Poole is a speech-language therapist at Blomfield Special School in Whangarei.
3. She is the founder of Anni Bloom, a youth-led charity that raises awareness around scoliosis.
4. Her brother Alistair Poole attended Whangārei Boys’ High School.
5. She attended Whangārei Girls’ High School.
6. Because of her scoliosis, she wore a back brace for 22 hours of the day and did physiotherapy everyday for years.
7. In 2018, her mother brought her and Alistair from South Africa to New Zealand.
8. In 2021, she started modeling professionally.
9. She was a Miss Auckland 2023 finalist.
10. She won Miss New Zealand 2024.
11. She was a Miss International 2024 finalist.
12. On November 28, 2024, she turned 22.
13. She was a Miss World 2025 quarterfinalist.

TIMELINE

Samantha is 5’9″ tall. She speaks English and Afrikaans.

2021

• From February 2021 to November 2021, she attended the Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand where she earned her bachelor’s degree in digital design majoring in visual effects in motion editing.

2022

• On March 18, 2022, she visited the Pouto Peninsula on Kaipara Harbour in Northland, New Zealand.
• In May 2022, she traveled to the Cook Islands.
• In December 2022, she traveled to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

2023

• In February 2023, she joined No Sad Cowboys in Auckland as a social media marketer and a content creator.
• On June 18, 2023, she competed against 10 other Miss Auckland 2023 candidates at the Bruce Mason Centre at Takapuna Beach in Auckland and finished in the Top 5.
• In August 2023, she walked for Miromoda at the New Zealand Fashion Week.
• In September 2023, she visited Ko Pha-ngan in Surat Thani, Thailand and Chiang Mai, Thaland.

2024

• In January 2024, she started her beauty pageant training.
• On May 5, 2024, she competed against 11 other Miss New Zealand 2024 candidates at the Bruce Mason Centre at Takapuna Beach and won the title.
• On September 16, 2024, she attended the Anni Bloom Fashion Show in Whangārei.
• On October 29, 2024, she traveled from Auckland to Tokyo, Japan.
• On November 12, 2024, she represented New Zealand at Miss International 2024 and competed against 70 other candidates at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo. She finished in the Top 8.

2025

• On April 15, 2025, she was officially appointed Miss World New Zealand 2025.
• On May 31, 2025, she represented New Zealand at Miss World 2025 and competed against 107 other candidates at the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. She finished in the Top 40 and was named runner-up to Miss World Oceania 2025 Jasmine Stringer of Australia.
• On July 5, 2025, she crowned her successor Miss New Zealand 2025 Britney Pringle at the Sky City Theatre in Auckland.