The self-confessed cricket tragic was appointed chairman of the Otago Cricket Association in late October and has been surprised by the amount of people who have contacted him to push their ideas on Otago cricket.
Some of them have been cracking ideas, while others have been at the other end of the spectrum.
But they all have something in common — behind them are people who really care about Otago cricket.
And so does Mawhinney. The 63-year-old would not drive for three and a-half hours to attend a board meeting otherwise.
The former Otago all-rounder owns a law business in Queenstown but still makes time for his passion.
He played 18 first-class and five list A games for his province. He also had a stint at Northern Districts and with Griqualand West in South Africa.
Mawhinney gave up playing when his knee swelled up after each match. But the game got a hold of him and never really released its grip.
"Like a true cricket tragic I went straight back to help out with Otago cricket in a development role," he said
He has mostly worked in law, though. But he also had a spell as chief executive of Hong Kong Cricket and coached the national side.
Mawhinney, who has three adult sons, made the move to Queenstown in 2002 and started up his law firm in 2014.
He joined the OCA board three years ago and has been chairman for "five or six weeks".
"What draws me to the game? I’ve always been drawn to the game. I think it goes back to when I was growing up in Ranfurly.
"There were eight teams in the Maniototo and everyone was involved in cricket. And it was just fun."
Times have changed.
There are only six teams in the Dunedin premier grade these day and there was a default recently.
While the game has not lost its appeal for Mawhinney, he is aware the sport is struggling to grab people’s attention in the same way it once did when he was growing up.
The game has a mountain to climb and a mountain climber to help them get there. Mawhinney will miss the next board meeting because he hopes to be "halfway up Mt Kilimanjaro".
"I just want to see Otago thrive," he said when asked what he hoped to achieve in his term.
What that looks like is a little different for everyone. For Mawhinney, it means continuing the work developing the game and to provide opportunities for the players to flourish.
"There is so much that cricket is competing with these days and it is not getting any easier.
"It just seems to be the way society is today. People are less likely to commit to something where they have to be there every Saturday."
The OCA has some solid building blocks in place. Its finances are solid.
The association has continued to invest in improving the facilities at the University Oval.
A women’s club competition was re-established last year following a long hiatus.
The Sparks won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield two summers ago, and the Otago Volts made the playoffs of both the Ford Trophy and Super Smash last year.
They Volts have struggled in first-class cricket and they have not won a national banner since winning the T20 competition in January, 2013.
Mawhinney cannot promise more success.
But he can promise to keep making the trip from Queenstown to Dunedin to brainstorm ideas — that is if he is not halfway up a mountain.
