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Speaker 1: Should the government buy something just because it's made here

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Speaker 1: in New Zealand, even if it costs us more. That's

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Speaker 1: basically the question you've got to ask yourself after the

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Speaker 1: latest wool snub. This time it was kying order saying

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Speaker 1: no in bold text, by the way to keyp we

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Speaker 1: made woolen carpet for state houses and yes to synthetic

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Speaker 1: imported stuff. Why it's cheaper. We've been here before, you'll

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Speaker 1: remember the school classroom's same story. And it happens despite

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Speaker 1: a coalition agreement deal with New Zealand first ensuring where practical,

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Speaker 1: and that might be the caveat that KAO is using

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Speaker 1: here to get out of wool, that the local product

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Speaker 1: be used in government procurement and in government buildings. But Ko,

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Speaker 1: like a good kid in class, has been listening to

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Speaker 1: the government's main lecture, which has cut costs. Wool is

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Speaker 1: thirty percent more expensive on average in carpets for state

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Speaker 1: houses than the nylon equivalent. But the industry, says KO,

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Speaker 1: and the deal could revitalize a flailing product and its fortunes.

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Speaker 1: So we have a clash of competing priorities cost versus localism.

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Speaker 1: The answer to the question posed at the start of

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Speaker 1: this is another question which is never It's kind of

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Speaker 1: annoying when people do that. But here we are what

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Speaker 1: is the net benefit to New Zealand's economy as a

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Speaker 1: whole of government buying wool carpet, including the jobs that

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Speaker 1: you would create, including the spending that you would encourage,

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Speaker 1: and the increased cost of wool on the taxpayer. That

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Speaker 1: surely is your number. That is the number that you

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Speaker 1: would base a decision on whether to use a New

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Speaker 1: Zealand made product over a synthetic, imported equivalent. For more

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Speaker 1: from Early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to News

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Speaker 1: Talk Set B from five am weekdays, or follow the

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Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio.