Four young Tauranga women are set to shine on the national stage in a competition which could change their lives but they need the public's vote.
Rachael Annear, Monique Thomas-Long, Evelyne Dawe, and Kaitlyn Wood are four of the 20 finalists in the 2015 Miss Universe New Zealand competition.
They will compete for honours at a red carpet gala grand final at Auckland Sky City's Theatre on Saturday, with a number of titles being handed out on the night.
The overall winner will represent the New Zealand at the international Miss Universe competition in Las Vegas on December 20.
Ms Thomas-Long said yesterday she and the other finalists were interviewed for 15 to 20 minutes by the five-person judging panel, which included 2014 Miss Universe Philippines winner Mary Jean Lastimosa.
"It wasn't too bad as they didn't ask too many curly questions, the questions were mainly about our backgrounds. The most nerve-racking part of the day was walking in high heels across the wooden stage in front of the judges in Bench sponsored sports wear," she said.
Ms Thomas-Long said she and her fellow Tauranga finalists had become a tight-group and they were all looking forward to the grand final.
"We're now at the exciting end of the competition. We all can't wait. It's really exciting as we have had a number of rehearsals and the dress I'm going to wear is absolute gorgeous.
The overall result of Miss Universe New Zealand is decided on a 50-50 basis.
Public votes representing 50 per cent of the final results, and the other 50 per cent is governed by a judging panel of industry experts.
Tauranga-born Nicki Slater who relocated to Wellington four years ago is also a finalist but says she regular travels home several times a year to see family and friends.
Voting for the 2015 Miss Universe NZ winner: Public vote represents 50% of the final results. Public voting carries on through to the Grand Final. Voting is made via iVOTE, which is run by iTICKET. Voters purchase votes through voting bundles. The bundles are priced at $5 and $10. Each vote costs $1. Click here to vote.
