A Kiwi-born international pop sensation will join Tauranga's own Stan Walker on the judging panel for The X-Factor NZ next year.

Daniel Bedingfield, known for his single ‘Gotta Get Thru This', which topped charts in the United Kingdom, is looking forward to being part of the search for the next New Zealand recording star.

Daniel Bedingfield is the second judge to be announced for the X-Factor NZ show.

"Sweet, I get to spend three months in New Zealand with a bunch of random geniuses, coaching them, and perhaps helping them live their wildest dreams (can't help the ones who want to breed sea monkeys).

'I've been voice coaching around the world for a little while and I find it particularly exciting to assist in the development of raw talent. There's something particularly refreshing about engaging with wide-eyed innocence.”

Daniel is the second of a four-person judging panel to be announced and will join Stan Walker in the show to be hosted by Dominic Bowden.

The final two female judges will be revealed in the coming months.

The X-Factor NZ is the first local version of the global television phenomenon format put on the map by Simon Cowell.

The programme has launched numerous internationally successful music careers, including Leona Lewis, Reece Mastin and One Direction.

New Zealand auditions begin on January 5 in Queenstown, with Tauranga auditions on Saturday, January 26 at 16th Ave Theatre from 10am-5pm.

The competition is open to singers 14 years old and up, either solo performers or groups. Contestants who make it through the audition process are split into categories: boys under 25, girls under 25, over 25s and groups.