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Our Cinderella seeks fundraising help - THURSDAY JULY 29, 2010

BEAUTY QUEEN: Cody Yerkovich is on her way to China.

Miss World New Zealand Cody Yerkovich will need a big suitcase when she heads off to China to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.
She needs to pack up to 20 evening gowns, double that number of casual dresses and goodness knows what underclothes a male reporter wouldn't want to ask about.
And Cody has a problem. The 18-year-old from Waiharara who is now a beauty  queen is finding the path to a Miss Universe crown is paved with hard work.
Somehow, she has to come up with the cash for the extensive wardrobe she needs to compete against 134 other young woman in five weeks of charity shows before the out of this world contest is judged in the southern Chinese city of Sanya on October 30.
New Zealand is apparently the only country that doesn't pay for its representative to show the flag in the Miss Universe show.
According to Cody, some of the girls are on their state's payroll and treated with real style. Poor Cody _ a Cinderella from the South Pacific.
But, happily, help is at hand as friends and family close to her home have rallied to her support, organising a fundraising concert for her at the Twin Peaks pub in Kaitaia on Saturday.
Starting at 3pm and continuing until at least 9pm, there will be a feast of local talent including kapa haka, line dancing and Andy (Elvis) Stankovich.
And organisers promise promise food galore, so no one will go hungry.
Tickets start at $10 for those aged 12 to 18, rising to $20 for adults and $50 for a family of four. They are available at JRz Dairy in Awanui, the Houhora Wharf Store, Twin Peaks and Steed's Dairy and Butchery at Waiharara.
There will be no door sales, and tidy dress will be essential.
Cody was recently in South Africa as an ambassador for the All Whites competing in the Football World Cup.
She enjoyed the experience and is excited _ and nervous_ about what lies ahead in China.
"It's a great opportunity," she said.
The show could open doors to a modelling career, which really interests her.
But she's still got her feet on the ground. However well she does at modelling, she wants to complete the Open Polytechnic degree in business management and communications which she put on hold to sample the razzle dazzle of being Miss World New Zealand.