Bennett gets grilling in Return to Work insight

You'd think having her hands on the Government's fattest purse would be good enough for Paula Bennett, yet the Minister of Social Development was in town for a job interview yesterday morning.
Ms Bennett, whose portfolio sees her responsible for about 31 per cent of state spending, got a feel for the Western Bay's employment situation when she took part in a mock job interview at the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce offices with 10 Tauranga people seeking work.
The 10 interviewers got to ask their would-be candidate why she thought she was qualified for the receptionist role and what qualities she could bring to the job.
However, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges doubted her suitability for the role, joking that his party colleague was "too loud" and a probable distraction to others.
The interview offered Ms Bennett a quirky look into the challenges facing the region's jobless and how the Return to Work programme, which kicked off in Tauranga four years ago, has been helping them.
She has been tracking the programme around the country.
The latest ministry statistics revealed 1479 job seekers aged between 18 and 64 were registered for the unemployment benefit in the Western Bay at the end of December.
The figures showed 290 of those on unemployment were living in Greerton, 530 in Mount Maunganui/Papamoa, 509 in Tauranga and 150 in Te Puke. However, the jobless numbers were expected to drop when the kiwifruit season began next month, Ms Bennett said.
Ms Bennett's stopover also included an address to a business breakfast, a public meeting at the Hellier's Centre and a coffee morning at Imbibe, and followed National's electorate AGM at the Tauranga Bowl Club on Monday.
Mr Bridges said the visit was important for Tauranga: "Paula Bennett controls by far the biggest budget in Government and it's important that she understands our issues."