Small signs of a by-election looming

Janet Peters (left) and Leanne Brown have put up their signs for the upcoming Mount Maunganui/Papamoa by-election.

The battle to fill the empty $74,000 seat on the Tauranga City council has started with a whimper rather than a bang.

With the ballot papers for the Mount Maunganui/Papamoa by-election now arriving in letter boxes, only one candidate, Janet Peters, has succeeded in making a bold statement with her roadside signs - even if they are few and far between.

Her highly visible signs contrasted with those put out by the only other candidate to have so far taken advantage of roadside advertising, Leanne Brown.

A drive along the Mount and Papamoa's main roads by the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday showed that it was a case of blink and you could miss the signs put up by Ms Brown.

Only one of the handful of Ms Brown's signs spotted in the drive stood out because of its size, with the rest barely noticeable because they were so small.

Quizzed on the size of most of her signs, she said it was what she could afford and that the size of the signs was irrelevant: "Little signs for a little lady that can pack a big punch."

The busiest stretches of road, Maunganui Rd and Marine Parade, were noticeable for a lack of signs. Ms Peters' first sign on Marine Parade was sighted past Grove Ave, followed by a smattering of signs on Oceanbeach Rd, Maranui St, Papamoa Beach Rd and Domain Rd.

Only one of her signs was spotted on Maunganui Rd, just before the Golf Rd/Hewletts Rd roundabout.

Ex-councillor Murray Guy from Pyes Pa said his signs application should be lodged with council today.

He was planning to recycle his old signs from the 2013 election campaign, with at least 30 dotting roadsides by the end of this week.

Mr Guy was still irritated by the council staff's new requirement that the number of locations of signs had to be submitted to the council for approval. He said the rules in the candidates' handbook were clear on where signs could be placed.

Candidate Matua Parkinson of Te Puna could not be contacted for comment on whether he intended to put out roadside signs, while Clare Wilson said she had received a lot of support from people saying "good on you" for her decision to not use signs.

It has been more than a week since signs have been permitted to be placed on roadsides.