Miss New Zealand 2012 Avianca Bohm is Not NZ Citizen; May Lose Her Crown

Another beauty pageant controversy has hit the headlines and this time it is in New Zealand. Newly crowned Avianca Bohm may be stripped of her title because she is not a native New Zealander. The 22-year-old beauty was born in South Africa and unless her citizenship is fast-tracked she will not be able to take part in the Miss Universe pageant in December this year.

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Bohm was only crowned Saturday night at the pageant in Wellington. But organizers of the event admitted that the South-African- born beauty should have never won because she was not eligible.

According to New Zealand Herald, pageant director Val Lott said: "It's not embarrassing for the competition. It's embarrassing for the [chief] judge, who should have taken on board what I said to him. It says that in their entry form. [Ms Bohm] and I both had a clear understanding that she couldn't win. I said, you can enter it because it will still be a lot of confidence-boosting and great for your area."

Even Bohm said she told the organizers about her nationality but that Val Lott agreed she can take part, but that she is not eligible to win it.

Bohm is now trying to get her New Zealand citizenship fast-tracked. The beauty queen is pretty confident that she will obtain it in time for the Miss Universe competition. She said:  "Everyone's got contacts, and it's one of the first things that we're going to do and sort out. It's just the paperwork. I mean New Zealand is such a multicultural country. It's not an issue to me at all, I'm not even worried about that."

Bohm moved from South Africa to New Zealand at the age of 16 and now considers herself a New Zealander.