Welcome Bay/ Te Papa ward candidate Matua Parkinson is becoming increasingly frustrated because his election signs are vanishing across the city.

Matua Parkinson with some of his election signs near Memorial Park.

Matua has replaced 18 signs since the start of the campaign one month ago.

When they first started disappearing, he thought it was just youngsters having fun, but now he believes there could be a more sinister motive.

'At the start of the campaign my friend's daughter saw a couple of girls running down the road with one. I thought that was all right; but 18 later?”

Signs first started disappearing in Maungatapu, but have also vanished in Te Papa and Greerton.

'I'm trying to keep positive about it, thinking it's just young people stealing them for mementos, but when it gets up to this sort of number, you have to wonder.”

'One can only suspect that it's foul play, but I'd hate to think that's the case,” says Matua.

He has to pay $150 to replace each sign and then there is the time it takes to put them back in place.

Matua hopes the missing signs will not influence his chances of getting elected.

'I'd like to say it won't have an impact, but empty frames don't show much.”

He says the campaign is going well and is enjoying talking to a lot of people.

'I've had some advice from some very well known politicians and they said my campaign is more of a listening campaign then a talking campaign, which is quite right because it's about what the people want.”

The outcome of the Welcome Bay/ Te Papa election will be known on Saturday afternoon, along with the other election results.

Check SunLive for the results on Saturday afternoon as they unfold.