Rotorua's Hinetaapora Short could be the next Milkybar Kid.
The Te Kura o Te Koutu student is one of 10 finalists in the search to find one of New Zealand's best-known young adventurers.
Since August 9, children throughout the country have been filming audition videos using a script from www.milkybar.co.nz and uploading
them for their chance to to fill the boots of this much-loved character.
Public auditions were also held at The Warehouse, New World and Pak'n Save nationwide.
Now, 10 children have been selected as the finalists and Hinetaapora, 8, is one of them.
But only five have been revealed so far as organisers of the competition announce one finalist each day.
Hinetaapora said she would like to to be the next Milkybar Kid because it sounded like fun, she'd like to be famous and really liked the white-chocolate bars.
Maori is Hinetaapora's first language.
She is bilingual and her favourite subjects at school are Spanish and singing. When she grows up, Hinetaapora says, she wants to be famous or a model.
Nestle's Milkybar spokesman, Jeremy Boucher, said it had been difficult to select the top 10 finalists because there were a lot of talented children who had auditioned for the role.
"It has certainly been tough to cut the contenders down to 10 hopefuls," he said.
All of the 10 finalists will be announced by November 1.
They will be appearing on TV1's Good Morning, in magazines, and on www.milkybar.co.nz.
After that, members of the public can vote for the finalist they think should be the new Milkybar Kid. A panel of judges will pick the ultimate winner, who will be revealed on November 19.
The winner will star in the new Milkybar television commercial next year.
FINALISTS
The 10 finalists in the Milkybar Kid competition have been selected. Five of the finalists have been revealed, with one new finalist being revealed each day leading up to Monday November 1, when voting begins. See www.milkybar.co.nz for details on how to vote for your favourite contender.
The five finalists revealed so far are:
- Hinetaapora Short, Rotorua
- Natalie Olson, Wellington
- Sam Kirby, Christchurch
- Asher Quin, Dunedin
- Dominic Burrows, Invercargill
