A BUY Kiwi Made programme is a cherished goal of the Green Party but also raises complex questions. Some of them were posed by Green Party MP Sue Bradford in Wanganui on Thursday. She went to the city to be part of a central region Employers' and Manufacturers' Association forum
on the subject, and her speech notes were supplied to the Chronicle. Buy Kiwi Made (BKM) was one of the top two priorities for her party, and the Labour Party had agreed to allow the Greens to be fully involved in its development and implementation. This was part of the parties' Co-operation Agreement. BKM was dear to the Green Party because it related to two of its top four principles: environmental sustainability and social and economic justice. Ms Bradford said local production and consumption would insulate New Zealanders against the coming oil crisis and the effects of climate change. On the social and economic front, it would keep jobs in the country and people in work. Late Green Party co-leader Rod Donald was a champion of BKM, and Ms Bradford said she had been nominated to carry on his work. "He has very big Kiwi made shoes to fill." She hoped yesterday's forum would gather support from participants. She said a marketing campaign, an investigation of ways to distinguish New Zealand goods from imports, influencing Government procurement policies and an audit of imports were planned. Defining what was New Zealand made was one of the complexities, as many goods were made from imported materials. Another aspect to be ironed out was what relationship should exist between BKM and the Business New Zealand-owned Buy New Zealand Made campaign, and other Government- funded branding exercises. Another question would be who should run the programme, and who should be involved. Should services as well as goods be involved? If that was the case, should foreign ownership be an impediment? She ended her speech by saying she hoped some good discussion would follow, and that it would inform the final shape of the programme.
