Knees-up planned for 'Talent' final

Olivia Turner

The retirement village boss who sent golden oldie Olivia Turner on the road to stardom says she will party with pensioner pals during the New Zealand's Got Talent grand final.

The 91-year-old singer did it her way when she made the closing stage of the competition last Sunday, belting out the Frank Sinatra classic My Way. She was the most popular contestant with the voting public.

Now elderly fans plan a knees-up at the Silverstream complex in Christchurch where Turner lives, for the November 25 climax.

"We laid on bubbly and nibbles for the residents when they cheered on Olivia in the earlier rounds," Donna O'Reilly, manager of the village, said.

"The final is being recorded a week before it is broadcast and we will be inviting Olivia, her sister and friends to watch it. It will be some night and our phones will be red hot with people calling in to vote for her."

Turner shifted to Silverstream when the nearby Kate Sheppard Retirement Village where she lived was evacuated last year because of earthquake damage.

Meanwhile, the only other finalist so far, heart-throb Tawaroa Kawana, has confirmed he's fallen for a beauty from his home town of Palmerston North.

Kawana, 17, and Sarah Hantita-Paki confirmed they are an item on their Facebook pages and posted pictures of themselves sharing a kiss in the street.

Five more semi-finalists will perform for judges on tonight's episode of the show, at 7.30pm on TVOne.