Local candidates standing in this year's general election will be in the hot seat tonight at the Forsyth Barr Tauranga and Tauranga Chamber of Commerce Parliamentary Election Candidates Forum.

Simon Bridges (National, Tauranga), Todd Muller (National, Bay of Plenty), Jan Tinetti (Labour, Tauranga), Angie Warren-Clark (Labour, Bay of Plenty), Erika Harvey (NZ First, Tauranga) and Josh Cole (Green Party) will all be attending the debate.

Event organiser Anne Pankhurst says this event will provide an opportunity for the Tauranga business community to hear first-hand from their local candidates before polling day and offer a forum in which they can put their questions to them.

'Given the political rollercoaster that we have seen play out since COVID-19 hit our shores, we're excited to be co-hosting this event and expect a lively debate between the candidates.

'It's rare to get an opportunity to get them together in one place and this is the only event of its kind, so we encourage you to come along, hear from the candidates and have your say as well.”

Anne adds that to ensure effective and efficient debate for both event attendees and panellists, the Chamber has only invited candidates from the main parties that are currently in Parliament, and that are standing in Tauranga and Bay of Plenty electorates.

'We want to ensure issues discussed are relevant to our business community, and that everyone has a chance to speak, to engage with the debate, and that attendees felt they got the information they needed.”

'The nation's recovery plan from COVID-19, including how we will pay for it, will last for a generation. The region needs to understand how decisions made in Wellington will impact us in the Bay of Plenty,” says Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Cowley.

Check out the livestream above to watch the debate.