National leader Judith Collins - in Dunedin today - says her party's proposed tax cuts would put $200 million into the Otago economy.
Collins was outlining her party's plan for a post-Covid economic recovery during her visit.
Speaking to members at the Otago Chamber of Commerce, she began by joking about the George St dots, before turning to the economy.
“Dunedin being such a city that has great reliance on students, including international students, and international tourism, you understand things are tough.”
Her visit to Dunedin - her first of the election campaign - started at Mosgiel company O'Brien Group, a manufacturer of customised benchtops, partitions and panelling.
She received a warm welcome during the short visit and took questions from staff around farming, immigration and KiwiBuild.
She pitched National's temporary tax cuts to workers as something "not to be sniffed at".
It would put $200 million into the Otago economy, she said, "as long as people spend it".
She also pushed for National's border policy to expand managed isolation capacity - including for specialised migrant workers - by allowing private providers to accommodate more overseas arrivals.
"Help and hope are on its way," Ms Collins said.
National's Dunedin electorate candidate Michael Woodhouse added: "There's $1 billion of fruit in Central Otago that could literally end up rotting on the ground."
Worker Karl Mason asked Collins about buying a home for his family, and Collins talked about scrapping the RMA and requiring councils' 30-year-plans to accommodate new housing.
Afterwards, Mason said he was a Labour supporter and was 50-50 about who to vote for next week.
He started looking to buy a house two years ago, but had yet to find a way in. Building a new home and buying land for it in his area would cost $900,000.
"I don't know how people afford it."
Owner Peter O'Brien told Ms Collins the company was doing well now, but was concerned things could take a turn for the worse next year if immigration rules were not relaxed.
Taieri candidate Liam Kernaghan was also with Ms Collins for the visit.
Speaking to media after the Chamber of Commerce event, she said she was confident National could flip the newly established electorate.
However, today was her first visit to the electorate during the campaign. When asked about that, she said she was "all over the country'.
"I have to say that it is a big country.''
Ms Collins said she had been on a walk-around during the morning, but had not invited media.
Later Judith Collins spoke to a large crowd at Taieri College.
"We saw those big dots all over the road, and we thought ‘that’s what everybody needs’,” she joked.
“I quite liked the blue ones but I thought the red ones were a bit faded.”
She said she had a great reception in the city.
“We’ve had selfie after selfie at St Clair,” she told the crowd.
Ms Collins said Labour was campaigning on fear, but National was campaigning on hope.
“I think hope should trump fear any day.”
Ms Collins has taken a swipe at Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis, saying tourism operators in Queenstown were “surprised to find they had a minister”.
- additional reporting NZ Herald
