Bill English has made his first official visit to Tauranga since becoming deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
The MP for Southland escaped Wellington for the day to assess how Tauranga and the wider Western Bay of Plenty have managed in the harsh economic conditions.

See SunLive's interview with Bill English below.

He talks to SunLive about why it's important to travel around the country, how important Tauranga is to the national economy and the progress of the region's big roading projects.