Greg "Grego" Mawson never thought he would get into politics.
But that all changed when he saw an issue that was affecting Napier residents and he went about getting it changed.
That issue was and still is the traffic lights at Kennedy, Wycliffe and Maadi Rd.
However, after almost a year of what he says is inaction from the council and a subsequent petition which garnered almost 5000 signatures, Mawson can only go so far.
He says it is reflective of a bigger issue, and one that needs someone who is willing to go against the status quo. Someone like him, he says.
"More than ever, Napier needs new councillors who are community and future-focused," he says. "I've never thought about going into politics. I mean I've had my own opinions about politics, but it just seems to me that there's a whole lot of lack of common sense at the moment."