Creativity is in her blood. It stems from being the middle child.

Mount Maunganui's Rachael Annear dabbles in photography, art, crafts and especially likes to bake.

'I'm pretty much designated birthday cake maker within my family,” says Rachael. 'I normally go to Pinterest, and try and find the most interesting cake out there.”

The 21-year-old's always up for a challenge. 'I've been known to just go out and do things that wouldn't normally be me.”

Applying for Miss Universe New Zealand and becoming one of 20 finalists is one of those ‘things'.

Rachael saw the competition advertised on casting and auditions website StarNow and thought it'd be a 'cool” experience, so she applied. 'I just love trying different things,” says Rachael.

'I'd kind of forgotten about it and a month later they said I'd got into the next round and yeah…it's a bit of a whirlwind. It took a while to get my head around it.”

It's no wonder. One minute she's cramming in study to finish a primary school teaching degree at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute; the next she's basking in a world of high heels, headshots and hairspray. And so far, she's having a blast.

The highlight? A 10-day trip to Philippines earlier this year. 'It was so cool being able to experience another culture,” says Rachael.

'One day we'd be going to an A-list party, which was probably an incredible highlight for me, then we'd be planting mangroves in the middle of nowhere. It was amazing.”

It's every part of the ‘cool' experience she hoped for.

What else does Rachael hope to get from this experience? 'Is this where I'm supposed to say world peace?” she giggles.

In all seriousness, if she wins, Rachael hopes to use the glory to be a role model to young girls.

'It would mean I could have a place where my voice would be heard. I feel like winning this would be more of an opportunity for me to go out and talk in schools.

'I was always the one at school who hated public speaking. It's something I've wanted to overcome.

'I've definitely grown a lot and doing Miss Universe has definitely given me that next level of confidence.”

Rachael is hosting an Italian Fundraising Dinner at Gourmet Trader on October 9, with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to Variety Children's Charity, as part of the Entrepreneurial Challenge.

For more information, visit Rachael Annear on Facebook. To support Rachael in Miss Universe, ‘Like' her Facebook page or vote at nextmissnz.com

The grand final will be televised on October 24 from Auckland's Sky City Theatre.