School comes first for model student

Katie Tomlinson flies to Sydney on Sunday for a photo shoot with top Australian fashion photographer Steven Ward. Picture / Richard Robinson

Dreams of being a vet may have been temporarily put on hold for a teenager after winning New Zealand's top modelling competition.

Fourteen-year-old Katie Tomlinson, of Dunedin, was named winner of the Cadbury Dream Model Search at the grand final in Auckland this week.

The Queens High School pupil was one of 12 finalists selected from 700 wannabe models from around the country during auditions in May.

Katie was thinking of pursuing a career as a vet, and was considering that as a course of study at university. But modelling had always been her dream career because of the fashion, travel and meeting people, she said.

But the win aside, it would be back to school and continuing with normal life for this schoolgirl turned model.

"I'm going to carry on at school and go to university," said Katie, the youngest of six children.

Her mother, Maria Tomlinson, called her a natural model despite her age and lack of modelling experience.

"She wants to do this and will follow it. She's got her head screwed on properly," said Mrs Tomlinson, who was thrilled that her daughter won.

She said the win promised to launch a national and international modelling career for Katie, and while it would just be a holiday job during school, Mrs Tomlinson had no qualms about the potential career choice.

Even bad publicity surrounding the seedy underworld of modelling and eating disorders, as seen by British supermodel Kate Moss' drug scandal last year, did not worry Mrs Tomlinson.

"Katie loves food and she exercises. Drugs and alcohol are already around you in school level. She's dead against it. She will never pursue that. She thinks it's trashy."

Neither Mrs Tomlinson nor her husband, Chris, thought Katie was too young at 14 to be on the international modelling scene. They said Katie was very mature for her age.

Katie flies to Sydney on Sunday for a photo shoot with top Australian fashion photographer Steven Ward, before returning to Dunedin to launch her career.

First runner-up in the competition was Amy Tappenden, 16, of Christchurch, and second runner-up Bella Barber, 15, of Auckland.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES