NZ First has announced this afternoon that they will raise the minimum wage to $20 if they are to be voted into government.

The announcement was made to a crowd of over 200 at a public speech in Red Square, Tauranga and aims to be achieved over a three year period.

'What we need is high wages and high productivity,” says Peters.

'When we get back into power, we're going to take the minimum wage to $20 an hour.”

The meeting heard the issues of local Bay of Plenty people including concerns surrounding water ownership, elderly care, transport and housing.

In light of Tauranga's growing housing crisis, Peters says he believes a maximum of 35 per cent of the average earners' income should be spent on weekly housing costs.

'Today I see people paying 70 per cent it's hopeless.”

Winston is one of two politicians who visited Tauranga today.

Associate Education Minister Tim Macindoe visited Tauranga Boys' College today to announce the government is spending another $6 million on classrooms for the college and for Te Kura o Matapihi.

On top of the $33 million already announced through Budget 2017 in the Bay of Plenty region, the government is providing 12 new classrooms to the two schools/kura to accommodate their growing rolls, both now and in the future, says education minister Nikki Kaye's announcement.

Tauranga Boys' College gets nine new classrooms, Te Kura o Matapihi, three classrooms.

That's $4.5m for the college and $1.5m for the kura.

In a statement today Te Kura o Matapihi head teacher Tui Yeager says the three classrooms do not make up for the Ministry of Education's failure to carry out a promised re-build.

'When the Ministry officials attended our Board hui on May 15, they identified at that time that the school was already in deficit of three classes,” says Tui.

'The Ministry gave themselves a three month timeframe to come back with a way forward.

'This announcement confirms what we already knew years ago - that we were over-crowded and waiting for Ministry action. There are still many unsolved property issues that are yet to be dealt with.”

Tim made the announcement at a special assembly at the college.

After a spirited welcoming haka from the students he told them he knew the college, having worked there as a relieving teacher after losing his first election bid.

Learning how to get up and have another go after a failure was very much at the heart of what they teach and Tauranga Boys' College, says Tim.

Principal Robert Mangan says the classrooms are appreciated.

The school has a record 750-800 new students seeking entry next year. The college is the third largest college for Maori boys in the country, and under the now discarded decile system was decile six, 'Smack in the middle,” says Robert. The school grows good men, good citizens from a wide catchment physically and socially.