When senior officials from FIRST Union asked Tony Mudgway to stand for Whanganui District Council, he agreed.
"It was a bit out of the blue, and I'd never really thought about it before. But I like to help people whenever I can," Mr Mudgway said.
He now has a campaign manager and a group of helpers, and the union is helping out with resources.
Mr Mudgway, who has lived all his life in Castlecliff and Gonville, is a union stalwart. He's a union delegate at Cavalier Spinners and has been on FIRST Union's national executive for the past five years.
He's currently working part-time at Cavalier Spinners, and part-time as a job seeker, assisting Cavalier Spinners' workers to find other work. Nearly 70 workers were laid off from the plant earlier this year.