Banks turns on the charm for all ages

John Banks paddling yesterday with young swimmers at the hot pools in Waiwera, way in the north of the new Super City. Photo / Sarah Ivey

John Banks has only ever been to three movies in his life, one of which was the Spice Girls' Spice World.

The other two were the Sound of Music and a western called Laramie.

Seeing Spice World was his children's reward for being good for a whole week.

You could be forgiven for thinking the reason he has spent so little time in the cinema was because of his busy schedule.

But the reality is the Super City mayoral candidate just isn't good at sitting still for too long.

"I don't tend to sit around easily. I tend to like to be on the move and making things happen," he says.

As we are driving from one election campaign meeting to another, Mr Banks explains how his normal day starts about 4.15am.

After a cold shower (to remind him of when he was poor) and a breakfast of yoghurt and cereal - anything but Hubbards, made by his predecessor - he is normally in the office by 6.45am.

At the other end of the day he likes to go to bed early, but lately that hasn't been happening.

Mr Banks has been out campaigning for the past 44 nights and at a visit to the Waiwera hot pools yesterday afternoon, he joked that he could easily lie down in the private rooms and rest for several hours. But he doesn't. There are still voters to meet, hands to shake and meetings to be had.

When asked if he ever tires of shaking hands, meeting and greeting potential voters, Mr Banks is honest. He says yes - but then adds it's the adrenalin and people around him that keep him going.

"My work has been my whole life ... I quite like meeting different and new people and getting to know people who are giving life their best shot."

And on the campaign trail, Mr Banks certainly does meet a wide variety of people.

There is the 19-year-old youth who asks if he's related to John Key because they have the same forename. There's the elderly lady who stops him in a cafe to say she's voted for him, and the young couple who take a moment to work out exactly who the "important-looking man" in a suit is - and then excitedly ask if they can have their photograph taken with him.

Mr Banks tries to take the time to talk to each one.

He says he can always tell which ones have voted for him. When asked why he spends time with them if he already has their support, the seasoned campaigner replies that it's partly because he makes promises to visit and doesn't want to let them down.

It's also because while they may have decided whom to vote for, the people around them might not have and they will inevitability go home and talk about their day and how they met John Banks.

Earlier in the day, Mr Banks was working his charms on such supporters at an Indian shopping complex in Mt Roskill.

"Hello, I'm Banksie - I want to be the mayor of the Super City," he says to a 3-year-old girl.

It almost sounds cheesy, and she looks at him curiously before saying, "Oh".

But her parents and 6-year-old brother soon get pulled into the conversation, and before long the family are sharing their lunch - peaflour patties and deepfried cassava - with him.

Mr Banks then finishes up with, "What a lovely family", before jumping in for a picture with them.

It's the kind of scene that feels stage-managed for the cameras but it's not - well, not really.

Mr Banks met the owner of the complex several weeks ago at a mosque in Otahuhu. He had promised to come back and see the man's business, which is how he ended up there yesterday afternoon, in the second-to-last week before the votes are counted.

It's one of many stops in the day. The next is in Orewa, and he says it's the 500th meeting of his 18-month-long campaign to be the Super City's first mayor. It's been a long and hard campaign and as the end draws near, he's starting to feel fatigued.

He also admits feeling "apprehension, excitment, butterflies and glad really that it's finally coming to an end because 12 months ago this was a long way off".

Mr Banks says he has learned a lot during this campaign.

"None of this is easy. We have learned that the job is huge, the challenges are great and the responsibility is awesome and there is a lot at stake.

"That's why we are campaigning on experience and confident stable leadership when it matters most."

It's a line Mr Banks has been pushing for a while. It's also one that many of his supporters agree with.

"He's got a wealth of experience as the mayor," said Mohammed Hasim Kahn, the owner of the Indian shopping complex. "I think we need a person with experience at this stage."

ON THE TRAIL
The Herald goes on the beat with Super City candidates:
* Today: John Banks.
* Yesterday: Cameron Brewer and Doug Armstrong.
* Wednesday: Len Brown.