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Speaker 1: Rosemary Banks, remember that name. She now has one of

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Speaker 1: the most important jobs for New Zealand, a potential two

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Speaker 1: billion dollar job. She's our woman in DC. She's the

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Speaker 1: ambassador to the United States. Her mission get us an

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Speaker 1: exemption to Trump's tariffs. The scale of the problem massive.

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Speaker 1: Early estimates at twenty percent. It could cost us one

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Speaker 1: point seven billion dollars every year. Our total exports currently

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Speaker 1: eight point eight billion, so that's huge. It can be done.

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Speaker 1: The Aussie's got an exemption on steel and aluminium in

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Speaker 1: twenty eighteen under Trump. Is she up to the job.

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Speaker 1: I'm told yes, if anyone can do it, Rosemary Banks

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Speaker 1: is the person that you want up there. I'm told

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Speaker 1: she's got excellent contacts with the Republican Party and she

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Speaker 1: is working the phones and working them hard. She was

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Speaker 1: asked to stay on by Winston Peters back in May

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Speaker 1: in anticipation that Trump might get in smart move. She's

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Speaker 1: the same ambassador, was the same ambassador in charge when

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Speaker 1: we nearly got an FTA through during Trump's last term.

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Speaker 1: Of course, it's not all on her. Winston Todd, McLay, luxon,

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Speaker 1: they will all play their parts, but the ground game

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Speaker 1: is on Rosemary and we may have some advantage here

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Speaker 1: in that we do export food, and food is something

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Speaker 1: Trump probably doesn't want to make more expensive. Then there's

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Speaker 1: the uncertainty of whether Trump will actually make good on

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Speaker 1: his campaign big talk. Rosemary's not waiting around for that

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Speaker 1: uncertainty or for certainty on the uncertainty, I should say

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Speaker 1: they have a plan, and by god, it better be

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Speaker 1: a good one. We like to hate on diplomats, don't we. Oh,

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Speaker 1: they just go to nice dinners and drink wine and schmooze. Well,

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Speaker 1: it is time to crack out our best pinot, use

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Speaker 1: the contacts, and make the deals happen. The weight of

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Speaker 1: our export nation is on your shoulders, Rosemary, Best of luck.

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Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live

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