Cutting through red tape, dodging arrows of criticism… Tauranga Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout is bringing all the political clichés when he becomes a target at the Tauranga Medieval Faire.

For a small fee, (two tokens) the public, friends, family and political opponents will be able to take pot shots at Kelvin with a bow and arrow.

Tauranga Council deputy mayor Kelvin Clout gets armoured up for target practice. Photos and interview by Tracy Hardy.

The arrows will be blunts – rubber headed, that apparently, feel a bit like getting hit by paintball rounds. Kelvin will be wearing armour – but not as much as he would like.

'I was hoping for a shield, but I find out now that I only have a sword,” he says at a rehearsal before the live event on Saturday.

'But that will make it interesting. As a local politician, I'm used to dealing will ill meaning and ill-informed arrows of dissent, so this will be something that I'm used to.”

Kelvin is one of the targets in the ‘Shoot the Knight' event from 11am till 12pm on Saturday at the combined Faire and A&P Show.

For the practice round at Memorial Park yesterday afternoon, Kelvin was kept safe from the arrows by about 15kg of steel, a chainmail hauberk or shirt.

On Saturday he will have added to that a gorget to protect his throat, a visored helmet, and some leg armour – all supplied by the Tauranga medieval re-enactment group The Northern Horde.

'It will keep me very hot,” says Kelvin. 'In the heat of summer it's going to be quite a challenge. I do applaud these guys for the effort they go through putting that heavy and hot armour on and I have seen them down here frequently battling away.”

Kelvin's knowledge of medieval armour and combat is gained from the TV programmes and the occasional movies that featured medieval fighting.

'I'm hoping there's a lot less blood on this occasion than I have seen in the movies.”

Because of a hint from his Northern Horde armourers Charlie Tapsell and Tridyn Berben, there may well be an invitation to Kelvin to step into the ring and do a round of full contact sparring with a member of the New Zealand Historic Medieval Battles team – wearing full armour, he's going to be watching more movies before the faire.

'I'm willing to do that. As deputy mayor you get to some interesting things, challenging things. So I will immediately go home now brush up on Youtube videos on how to combat in that arena, so I will have to study up on that.”

The Tauranga Medieval Faire at the Tauranga racecourse is over three days, opening to the public Friday afternoon at 12.30pm. Saturday and Sunday the Faire is open from 9.30am till 4pm. There's a provisional schedule on the Faire's Facebook page.

'I like the way the A&P show and the Medieval Faire have combined resources, and I think it's going to be good for both events having them on together I think that's a really positive thing,” says Kelvin.

Tridyn Berben, left, and Charlie Tapsell from Tauranga's Northern Horde prepare Kelvin for target practice.