Danielle crowned Miss Far North

Miss Far North Danielle Collings, Little Miss Far North Ella Hilton-Jones, and Miss Teen Far North Kyla Smith.

Staff at the Northland Age don't have to go far if they want to know whether the judges at Miss Far North NZ 2015 made the right call.

The clear winner of Saturday's pageant at Te Ahu was Danielle Collings, who happens to be a receptionist at this newspaper's Commerce Street headquarters. The 19-year-old from Doubtless Bay also took out the Miss Catwalk title.

The contestants, who ranged in age from 4 to 25 and hailed from Kawakawa in the south to Waiharara in the north, submitted a biography and had a photo shoot ahead of the show; on the night itself they competed in daywear, gymwear and evening wear sections. They also had to talk about themselves in front of an audience of about 160 people, dance, and show their poise on the catwalk.

Danielle was given a skipping rope as her prop and managed to skip down the catwalk without accident.

Winning the Miss Far North title had been a huge confidence boost, she said.

"I'm not a very confident person so getting up in front of so many people made me really nervous. But it was a great experience and it was definitely a confidence boost. I love the fact I was recognised, that I stood out."

The event was MC'd by 2013 winner Priscilla de Groen Hutchinson from Kaingaroa, who went on to reach the final 10 in Miss Universe New Zealand. Danielle is considering whether to have a shot at the national title.

The part-time receptionist finished NCEA level 2 by correspondence last year. She is a keen photographer (including for this newspaper), animal rescuer and cupcake baker.

Results

Miss Far North NZ 2015: 1 Danielle Collings, 19, Doubtless Bay; 2 Tabitha Jenkins, 19, Oromahoe; 3 Samantha Adams, 19, Kaitaia. Miss Personality: Antoinette Kennard, 25, Kerikeri; Miss Photogenic: Chelsey Thompson, 18, Kaitaia; Miss Catwalk: Danielle Collings; People's Choice: Moet Walker, 15, Kaingaroa.

Miss Teen Far North NZ 2015: 1 Kyla Smith, 14, Kaitaia; 2 Savannah Wassink, 15, Kaitaia; 3 Moet Walker, 15, Kaingaroa; 4 Moana Hape, 12, Kaeo.

Little Miss Far North NZ 2015: 1 Ella Hilton-Jones, 10, Waiharara; 2 Petra Roper, 7, Kaikohe; 3 Rachelle Nichols, 9, Mangonui. Miss Personality: Maya Daniels, 4, Kaitaia; Miss Photogenic: Paige Naylor, 11, Kawakawa.