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Ryan Bridge: Should the government buy NZ made, even if it costs us more? · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Should the government buy something just because it's made here
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: in New Zealand, even if it costs us more. That's
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: basically the question you've got to ask yourself after the
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: latest wool snub. This time it was kying order saying
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: no in bold text, by the way to keyp we
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: made woolen carpet for state houses and yes to synthetic
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: imported stuff. Why it's cheaper. We've been here before, you'll
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: remember the school classroom's same story. And it happens despite
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: a coalition agreement deal with New Zealand first ensuring where practical,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: and that might be the caveat that KAO is using
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: here to get out of wool, that the local product
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: be used in government procurement and in government buildings. But Ko,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: like a good kid in class, has been listening to
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: the government's main lecture, which has cut costs. Wool is
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: thirty percent more expensive on average in carpets for state
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: houses than the nylon equivalent. But the industry, says KO,
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: and the deal could revitalize a flailing product and its fortunes.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: So we have a clash of competing priorities cost versus localism.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: The answer to the question posed at the start of
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: this is another question which is never It's kind of
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: annoying when people do that. But here we are what
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: is the net benefit to New Zealand's economy as a
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: whole of government buying wool carpet, including the jobs that
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: you would create, including the spending that you would encourage,
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: and the increased cost of wool on the taxpayer. That
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: surely is your number. That is the number that you
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: would base a decision on whether to use a New
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Zealand made product over a synthetic, imported equivalent. For more
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: from Early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to News
• 1:44
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• 1:48
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