New dad Sir Elton John is being bombarded with Kiwi offers to babysit during his one-off gig in New Zealand.
The Rocket Man singer, 64, became a father for the first time when he and partner David Furnish's surrogate son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was born in Los Angeles on Christmas Day.
But the Herald on Sunday can reveal Zachary won't be with his doting dad at the 35,000-capacity show at Dunedin's new Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday. It's believed the 11-month-old boy will remain with "Papa" Furnish at the couple's mansion in Berkshire, England.
"A lot of fans have been in touch with kind offers to babysit for Sir Elton," said Phil Sprey, boss of Capital C Concerts. "We've had a huge amount of correspondence from people asking all about his new family. But the boy is far too young to travel on a tour and we are not expecting David Furnish to be coming, either."
Asked if he thought the superstar would be missing his new son, Sprey said: "I would say he probably will because becoming a parent is a big move in his life."
Weeks after Zachary was born, the British singer and Furnish have told US Weekly they don't know which of them is the biological father as they both had contributed sperm.
'I've never felt anything like it in my life. You're so awestruck," Sir Elton, who has sold 250 million records, said.
The star has also since hinted he's planning to wind down his touring schedule after becoming a parent.
Meanwhile, a Timaru man who owns the world's longest piano is moving it 200km in a bid to attract Sir Elton's attention. Adrian Mann built the 7.5m piano by hand over four years in his tractor shed. He was transporting the piano to Dunedin after failing to get the British musician to come to his home and show off his skills.
Sir Elton yesterday politely declined an invitation to the civil union of Piri Norris and Justin Elder at Parliament.