Tue 24 Aug 2010 In: Hall of Fame View at Wayback View at NDHA
The brand spanking new Mr Gay Waikato is not only super cute, he is also incredibly sweet. Tom Green took out the title at Hamilton's Shine on Saturday night. He turned 20 just yesterday and says the title is like an early birthday present. Green flats with friends in Hamilton and works as a hotel receptionist, a role he's had since he finished high school. He spent his earliest years in Hong Kong, with his family moving back to New Zealand when he was five. Since then most of his life has been lived in Hamilton, a place he loves because, "it's so close to Auckland but away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. It's close enough to go up for a shopping trip, if you need it." He watched the two previous Mr Gay Waikato contests and decided to enter this year after a few people urged him to give it a go. He says being up on stage in front of a screaming audience was a little bit out of his comfort zone, but he had great support from the crowd. Green believes his win is more about how many people knew him, rather than being the best looking (which I am sure many people with disagree with!) Green says Hamilton has a tight-knit GLBT crowd. "Everyone knows everyone. You sort of end up at Shine on the weekends, it's a place to catch up," he says. "Hopefully throughout this next year of having the title there is something that I can do for the gay community in the Waikato." Tom (left) was already a cover boy! The city is still at a crossroads, between acceptance and religious muscle, which Green says is a tricky situation because people are set in their ways. "How they're brought up is how they are usually, for the majority of their life I guess. If there's something I can do to create equality, then absolutely, I'll do my best to do that." So to the important question: yes Green is single, but he relatively recently came out of a relationship and is happy being single for the time being. When he is looking, what will he be after? "Someone who knows where they're going in their life. That's it's really." For now, he's happy to spend his spare time hanging out in town with friends and colleagues (and spending his prize of a $300 bar tab at Shine!), going on random road trips with his flatmates and simply settling into his one-year reign as Mr Gay Waikato. Jacqui Stanford - 24th August 2010