Business and tourism were on the agenda for Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett who was on the second day of her campaign trail in Hawke's Bay yesterday.
After addressing a Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce breakfast in the morning, she went on to the Port of Napier where she heard about the positive impact the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship visit in January this year had on the regional economy.
She also heard about the challenges the Port had overcome after the Kaikoura earthquake that resulted in a 91 per cent increase in imports, a 13 per cent increase in exports, and an additional 200,000 tonnes of logs, equating to six years of growth in six months.
Ms Bennett then put on her Tourism Minister hat and addressed the Hawke's Bay Tourism Industry Conference in Napier where she revealed she had been involved in the industry herself as a teenager teaching people fly fishing on Lake Taupo.
"I then worked on harbour and other charter boats and fishing cruises - I loved talking to people about the area and seeing them catch a trout and then fillet and cook it on the boat, although that doesn't happen these days."