Most people know Hori BOP Leaming as a mascot for the Bay of Plenty Steamers rugby team, but he is removing his face paint to take up a new challenge.

Leaming has been painting his face blue and yellow for his mascot role for 20 years and is now vying for the Western Bay of Plenty's top job of mayor.

The two main things on his agenda if he were to become mayor are roading infrastructure and a purpose-built stadium.

'Hori BOP just wants to see a stadium built before he dies,” says Leaming.

'It'd be a stadium defined for rectangular sports, but it could hold events.”

He suggested Maramatanga Park in Te Puna or near Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park as possible sites.

The 65-year-old also wants stage two of the Takitimu North Link from Te Puna to Ōmokoroa to be built and for State Highway 29 to be upgraded between Tauriko and Omanawa.

He says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency needs to be lobbied until the outcome is achieved.

'You've just got to keep putting the pressure on and putting the pressure on, but it's got to be achieved. 'We've got to get the ball in the back of the net.”

The estimate for completion of the SH29 upgrade is 10 to 15 years, but Leaming says the work needs to start now because the area is 'growing so fast”.

The Weekend Sun is asking mayoral candidates their thoughts on Western Bay of Plenty District Council amalgamating with Tauranga City Council in future.

Leaming says: 'At the moment the Western Bay has proven that they can run themselves better than Tauranga City Council. So why would you amalgamate the two at this stage?

'I don't think there'd be much of an appetite from Western BOP ratepayers for amalgamation.”

Candidates are also being asked their thoughts on the Three Waters reform that will see stormwater, drinking and wastewater managed by four public entities instead of New Zealand's councils.

Leaming suggests the Government set up water quality standards rather than 'take assets off the ratepayers”. 'Put in a set of standards that have to be met by councils over the quality of water, quality of discharge and so on.”

If councils couldn't afford water infrastructure upgrades the Government could offer grants or interest-free loans, he says.

'Why punish the councils that have done a good job for the sake of the councils that haven't?”

Leaming lives in Tauranga but says he will be the Western BOP's 'biggest cheerleader”.

'You don't have to necessarily live in the region to understand the region. You need to listen to the region to understand the region and listen, I will.”

If the father-of-four were to be elected he'd take a collaborative approach to leadership by 'acting on the concerns of the community by bringing together the councillors”.

'A mayor's job is not to be a dictator, a mayor's job is to be a facilitator.”

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.