For one, the 42-year-old Hawea resident is not necessarily trying to be mayor — "although I’d be quite happy to take the role" — and, secondly, he admits he really only has one policy.
That policy is to put up to three referendum topics at each election where voters get a direct say on an issue — it’s called ‘direct democracy’.
"I’m quite interested in sort of direct-democratic systems, both the Swiss system, which I came across in travelling, and in California, as well, which has referendums at elections," Shand says.
The public, that way, has "binding, legal input in the law creation system".
An example of a local issue that could be decided by a referendum, he suggests, is whether new council offices should be sited in central Queenstown or Frankton.
This is the fourth successive election Shand’s taken his policy into — he also stood for the mayoralty three years ago, garnering 195 votes, and also stood as an independent in the Waitaki electorate, which Upper Clutha’s in, in the past two general elections.
Shand also thinks referendums would help restore people’s faith in the democratic system as they’d have some direct input into decision making.
Compared with the polished, potentially airbrushed billboard portraits of his main mayoral rivals, he’s used a can of spray paint to create an abstract-type self-portrait with ticks in two boxes. Last time he ran a picture of a dog.
"Democracy is not sexy, and direct democracy, a lot of people seem sort of disappointed when I start talking.
"They want to know what my policies are, and I start talking about public inclusion, which they sort of glaze over."
As a result, Shand says he tries to inject some humour.
"I’ve got a spray-painted sign at the moment, and that’s with a sort of smiley face which is kind of making fun of the representative system because I’m more into the direct-democratic system.
"And it is quite amusing, the election process, it’s a circus every three years, local and central government."
As for his rivals, Shand’s impressed with Al Angus.
"I don’t know all of his policies, but he’s a nice guy to talk to.
"He kind of shakes things up, he’s a fireball on stage, and that’s what I’m trying to do as well, but he’s not advocating direct democracy."
And, in a nutshell, that’s why he’s standing, ad nauseam.
"It’s very rare in New Zealand for that to be brought up, so I thought, ‘well, if no one’s going to bring it up, then I’ll have a go at bringing it up’."
When he’s not campaigning, Shand says he’s a foreman with "a pretty big" building firm. He’s single at the moment, and still rents.
And it’s on the topic of affordable housing he lets rip with one other policy — "stop fining the people that are living in their cars, emergency-stop on that".
