Winner of ‘Finding the Face’ TV auditions revealed
Te Rina West.
The wait is over - the face' of Rotorua can now be revealed.
John Paul College student Te Rina West (14) will be the face of a Famously Rotorua television commercial promoting the destination and airing nationwide from September 30.
Te Rina was chosen from around 300 local hopefuls who auditioned to be the star of the commercial and filming begins next week.
Director of the commercial Paul Taylor says Te Rina stood out as soon as she was captured on camera last December.
We had many great auditions, however Te Rina had a classic, almost timeless quality to her.
Taylor says they were looking for someone who was naturally captivating and able to simply do the job by being herself.
What's really brilliant is Te Rina actually has guiding in her whakapapa - it's an important part of who she is and it brings a real degree of integrity to this commercial in terms of her being a proud host and ambassador.
She's from a lovely, supportive whanau, she's an all-round good kid, there's even a glint in her eye that suggests she might enjoy being on camera... I think she's going to make everyone proud.
Te Rina says she was inspired to audition while having lunch with her mum at a caf down the road where she could see what was going on, so thought she would give it a go.
When I went to audition there were so many people there - the queue went around the corner of the street, so to be chosen is really amazing, she says.
I was a little nervous at my first audition but super excited at the same time, I didn't know what to expect.
I think confidence played a big part in being chosen, before I was interviewed mum said to me just be yourself darling' so that's what I did.
Te Rina says it's been hard to keep her audition success a secret, but focusing on her studies at school and basketball has been a good way to keep her mind off it.
When I tell my friends they'll be super proud and probably growl me for not telling them sooner!
It will also be pretty strange to see myself on TV, I don't really know what to expect, she says.
A talented basketballer, Te Rina represented New Zealand for basketball at the 2012 U14 Koru tour in Australia and she is currently the co-captain of the Rotorua U15 representative basketball team who are reigning national champions. She also qualified for the 2013 national tournament team, where they select New Zealand's best players from the top 8 teams. Te Rina is also involved in Kapa Haka and Speech & Drama.
In her spare time, Te Rina enjoys going to the lakes, walking her dog in the Redwoods, shopping and going to cafes.
Destination Rotorua Marketing (DRM) general manager Oscar Nathan says while the concept is still under wraps, DRM is very excited about the launch which will quickly propel the campaign from months of intense planning to mainstream delivery. It is an initiative backed and funded by public and private investors, including Rotorua District Council, local tourism and business sector supporters.
The television commercial is integral to the Famously Rotorua campaign and Te Rina will play an important part as she will be educating Kiwis about Rotorua's proud legacy, while also revealing many fresh and unexpected experiences our region has to offer.
Nathan says Rotorua continues to evolve and the television commercial will engage the audience in a three-year conversation around attracting New Zealanders back to the region. The commercials also form part of a wider strategy to build community pride about our place, our people and our culture.