Free-trade foes say it with food

By Peter Griffin

Sue Bradford traded megaphone for shopping trolley at New World Remuera yesterday, where she was protesting at the amount of consumer goods the country imports.

The Green Party's voice on employment was joined by Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons in criticising New Zealand's free-trade agenda.

Together they filled a shopping cart with products ranging from cat food to cornflakes that are mainly imported from Asian nations or Australia.

A long-time advocate for the unemployed, Sue Bradford said economic links through Apec and closer economic relations with Australia have contributed to a large balance-of-payments deficit and rising unemployment.

"All these products represent job losses for New Zealand. Free trade gives some consumers slightly cheaper goods at the cost of putting many out of work."

Among the items that went into Sue Bradford's trolley was a Team New Zealand polo-shirt with "Made in China" on the label.

Her comments came as Otago company Alliance Textiles announced the closure of its Milton woollen spinning plant. The closure, with the loss of 54 jobs, is expected to hit Milton's economy hard.

Alliance Textiles' acting chief executive, Lionel Evans, said the company's woollen division was struggling with intense competition from cheaper, synthetic fibres. "Alternatives were carefully examined, but the bottom line is that the plant is no longer competitive internationally."

Jeanette Fitzsimons believes many products which New Zealand would appear to have a natural advantage in producing are instead imported.

"About 60 per cent of all processed grocery items are now made outside of the country, yet we're a food producing and exporting nation.

"Along with repatriated profits from overseas investment, it is the major cause of our balance-of-payments deficit, which has reached $6 billion this year."

While Jeanette Fitzsimons agreed that the clothing and footwear industries had been hardest hit by the relaxing of tariffs, she said most canned foods, biscuits and pet foods were also now imported.

"People don't realise that these days every time you spend a dollar it's a political act."