National Final - 2013
The National Final of the Rose of Tralee -
tickets, accommodation, schedule, contestants! Everything you need to know.
Past National Finals
Meet the contestants, and see what they got up to in the past few National Finals.
Get involved
If you're a young single woman of Irish birth OR descent, you could enter the Rose of Tralee
2007
Rose of Tralee National Final, 2007
The 2007 final was hosted by the Hutt Valley Irish Society. Seven
young women competed for the honour of being the New Zealand Rose
of Tralee, to succeed Emma
Coffey:
The contestants were: |
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Carla Rapley, is representing Southland.
Carla is a 27 year-old science teacher at Verdun College
in Invercargill where she was a student during the mid-1990s.
She completed her Bachelor of Science majoring in Zoology
at Otago University and is also a graduate of the Dunedin
College of Education. Carla’s parents are involved in
sports administration, and she enjoys outdoor sports,
having taken two bungy jumps. Other down-to-earth interests
include drama, travelling and keeping fit. She is musical,
and has taken a lead role in theatre productions.
Her Irish connection is from Cork on one side of her
family and the other from Tipperary. Both Irish ancestors
emigrated to New Zealand in the 1860s. |
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Gayle Noonan is representing
Taranaki.
Gayle is 25 years old and was born in
Ireland, with her parents still living there in Roscrea,
Tipperary.
She is a graphic designer/photographer,
having obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Design and Communications
from the Limerick School of Art and Design. While visual
arts are Gayle’s focus, her family has a proud sporting
tradition, one uncle being Tadhg O’Connor, of All- Ireland
hurling fame. She hopes to establish a small business
and sees plenty of scope for advancing her skills in
New Plymouth. Gayle enjoys the New Zealand way of life,
which she believes would agree with the rest of her
family.
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Siobhan Ferris is
representing the Kapiti Coast.
Siobhan is a 20-year-old student in
travel and tourism who has had success in designing
and creating garments. She lists dancing, painting
and reading amongst her other interests. Siobhan’s
favourite entertainer is her brother who sings in
a band. She hopes to travel widely and would be keen
to be involved in volunteer work with children as
part of that experience.
Her Irish heritage is from her grandfather
who came from Dunloe in the Kingdom of Kerry. |
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Therese Hungerford-Morgan
is representing the Hutt Valley.
Therese is a 20-year-old Massey University
student who is training to become a midwife. She has
a “Rose pedigree” with a grand-aunt having been the
New Zealand representative in Tralee in 1968. Therese
is keen on reading and travelling, and lists tae-kwon-do
among her sports. Not surprisingly, she has a Certificate
in First Aid. While her immediate goal is to complete
her midwifery qualification, she considers real estate
investing may be part of her future.
Therese has Tipperary forebears on her
father’s side and Wexford from her mother. |
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Charlotte Carman
is representing Otago.
Charlotte is aged 26, hails from Auckland
but is currently completing post-graduate study in
Dunedin. She has a degree in Music from Victoria University
in Wellington which is a natural outcome of a varied
musical background. Charlotte plays piano and clarinet,
and has sung in productions both local and international.
She sang the National Anthem at a recent Anzac Rugby
League test. A keen netballer, she is an enthusiastic
supporter of sport in general. She aims to be a primary
school teacher following her training.
Her Irish background is from a grandfather
emigrated from Kerry in the 1930s, and her extended
family still farm near Castle Island.
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Sarah Dwyer is representing Canterbury.
Sarah, aged 27, is an Assistant Heritage Planner
employed by the Christchurch City Council. A football
("the beautiful game") fan, her
interests include learning Gaelic, visiting Art
Galleries and Museums, and music Sarah is keen to
work in the area of heritage management, and hopes
to spend a year overseas working for a not-for-profit
organisation. In the meantime, she intends to complete
her Masters degree, improve her sewing and do a
basic car maintenance course.
She is a fourth-generation New Zealander with heritage
from counties Clare and Dublin.
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Aisling O'Shea is representing
Auckland.
Aisling is aged 25, and lives in Auckland. She
was born in Cork, and lived in Kenmare, Co. Kerry
until 4 ½ years ago, when Aisling and most of
her family emigrated from Ireland to New Zealand.
Now a "Kiwi", Aisling works as a Learning and
Development Adviser with the New Zealand Institute
of Management in Auckland. She has studied extensively
in the area of Adult Education and Training, and
is currently completing the NZIM Certificate in
Management.
Aisling has a love of music, and plays piano.
She loves spending time with family and friends,
and swims and plays squash in her spare time.
While she enjoys painting, she confesses her artwork
leaves a lot to be desired!
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Listen to Elizabeth as she talks about winning the 2010 NZ Rose of Tralee title
“The New Zealand Rose will represent the entire Irish community at the International Final.”
