Tauranga's Green Party member Ian McLean is standing by his green credentials despite residents last week finding his Bay of Plenty Regional Council election hoardings around Mount Maunganui and bobbing in the shore nearby.

Green Party member Ian Mclean's Bay of Plenty Regional Council election hoardings bobbing in the water.

Ian, who stood for the regional council's Tauranga Constituency at last month's local body elections, says a few candidate signs went missing every election – and he suspects mischief is involved with these two hoardings sighted by the public.

Ian says he could not find about three of his signs when collecting his hoardings when they were due down after polling closed last month. Election hoardings posted in the city are under Tauranga City Council's jurisdiction, with the council's Candidate Handbook stating hoardings must be removed no later than 24 hours after election day – meaning this election, signs needed to be gone by noon Sunday October 13, 2013.

'Whether they want the sign or the post, or are up to a bit of mischief you don't know – but in this case, I think there's been a bit of mischief,” says Ian.

Photographs showing Ian's signs littered around the Mount have recently been posted on Facebook and sent to The Weekend Sun during the last week, prompting an extensive search of the area by Ian, which he says saw him retrieve one near the Pilot Bay wharf.

Ian is disappointed people who have seen the hoardings ignored them – and he says this occurrence of three lost election hoardings is not a sign that he doesn't care about the environment.

TCC spokesperson Marcel Currin says this instance is a litter problem, rather than an abuse of election rules, and he encourages anyone who finds Ian's dumped election signs to dispose of them.