The annual Miss Samoa Pageant now accepts contestants from outside Samoa. These young ladies represent Samoan communities in other countries: Miss Samoa-Australia, Miss Samoa-New Zealand, Miss Samoa-USA...

And as Tania Nugent discovered, it's created a bridge for overseas born Samoans to learn more about their heritage.

Tania Nugent: Samoa's Teuila Festival Parade always draws a crowd. It's a chance to get up close to some real beauties, the contestants in the annual Miss Samoa Pageant. For the nine contestants, it's almost the end of a week of public appearances... tomorrow night is pageant night.

Sherry Elekana: This the one week when they are treated as the Princesses of Samoa.

Tania Nugent: Sherry Elekana made history when she won the pageant in 2007. Sherry was born in New Zealand and is the first overseas born Samoan to win the title of Miss Samoa.

Sherry Elekana: It shocked us all. It was a real test for the Samoan people as well, but I learnt that, just as I was willing to serve them, then they were willing to accept me, which was really good.

Tania Nugent: Sherry had to live in Samoa for the year that she held the title, learning traditional customs and dance.

Sherry Elekana: This has been a real eye opener. I've had to learn what a real tamai ta Samoa does at formal functions, I've learnt how to drink the ava and bottle the ava and stuff like that.

Tania Nugent: And what about the language, the Samoan language?

Sherry Elekana: I haven't mastered that yet. It's so hard for me to learn here because a lot of people are starting to speak English more and more. So when they see me I'm the one that they practice their English on, instead of me being the one practising my Samoan on them, so it's very hard to learn, yes.

Tania Nugent: The girls are judged on talent, general knowledge, poise and appearance in a range of dress categories. And there's no swimwear section. Traditional wear is the centrepiece here.

Gwendolyn Tuaitanu: My traditional dress was actually the Teuila, being that it's the Teuila Festival, it also went with the theme, "Honour our past and embrace the future".

Tania Nugent: On this night, another overseas born Samoan becomes the new Miss Samoa. Gwendolyn Tuaitanu was born and lives in the U.S. She'll also move to Samoa to live throughout her reign.

Gwendolyn Tuaitanu: I feel like if I help more people come back to their roots, if we just help them learn what our forefathers did in the past, I think we'll be able to get through anything in our path in the future.