Tauranga's own Elvis is rocking over to Australia this weekend to see if he can bring home the top prize and some Aussie money from the Penrith Panthers Elvis Festival.

'The organiser Colonel Colin Greene saw me on Facebook, rang me in September and asked if I wanted to be a part of the event,” says Trevor Needham, who will be the only New Zealand Elvis tribute artist at what is the richest Elvis Presley competition in Australia.

Twelve artists will be vying for the $12,500 prize money.

The festival at the Penrith Panthers Rugby League Club runs for three days from January 13-15, and as well as the competition Trevor will be performing in an Elvis Presley Gospel Show with some of the other competitors.

At Elvis in the Park in Auckland last weekend, more than 3000 people turned up to Cranwell Park in Henderson to celebrate the rock legend's birthday.

Trevor was the opening act with another four Elvis tribute artists following him.

'It was five hours of Elvis,” says Trevor.

'I warmed up the crowd, we did half an hour each and had a break, then did another half an hour.”

They all sing, with each one bringing their own unique Elvis focus.

Trevor loves getting interactive with the crowd, giving out sunglasses to the guys and silk scarves to the ladies.

'I do the concert series songs from 1970 onwards. I bought the sunglasses, 100 at a time from a place in Spain, and give them out. Then they all think they're Elvis, it's all good fun.”

He's been performing music professionally since 1997 including singing Elvis Presley songs, and has been doing his Elvis tribute show for the past four years. He now has seven Elvis costumes which cost around $5000-$6000 each. His day job is working at a Mount Maunganui wholesale supply shop, while his partner Jannine Douglas works at Tauranga Hospital.

On stage they are joined by friend Sue Shrimpton who along with Jannine provides backing vocals.

'We do between 60 to 80 gigs a year as well as day jobs.”

Well-known for giving his time to help community groups, he recently donated a show to the Beebops before the Elvis Presley movie opened at Rialto, and performs monthly at Jack Dusty's Ale House in Bureta.

The four-day trip across to Australia is an exciting start to a busy year.

'Elvis is huge in Australia, and for me it's an opportunity to further my career and bring that experience home to our shows here.

'I've already been invited back for the Blue Mountains Elvis Festival in March, but we have a prior event booked in the same week, and I also need to be home to prepare for The King of the Hop being run for the very first time at Beach Hop 2023.

'The finals of that event will be staged in front of 50,000 plus people on the main stage at Williamson Park, Whangamata.” For now though, he's relishing the opportunity to bring home some Australian money.

'We're going this time to try it out and see if I make it into the final.”