3 July, 2003
Eating kiwi icons keeps us all in jobs

The Green Party has congratulated Griffin's for maintaining its a strong commitment to New Zealand's economy by keeping both its Lower Hutt and Auckland factories open.

Buy Local campaigner Mike Ward has hailed the move as a victory for New Zealanders with good taste.

"This is not just great news for the delightful biscuit bakers, it is good news for all New Zealanders who value those icons of Kiwi culture, like the Mallowpuffs, Gingernuts and Shrewsbury's," said Mr Ward.

"The message to the rest of us now is to get out and buy those biscuits before Griffin's changes its mind.

"Both factories are operating well below capacity so all of us stand to gain by buying local and helping redress the huge imbalance between imported and exported baked food products.

"Buying local and eating local will keep New Zealanders in jobs.

"This is a company that sources its needs locally, whose staff spend millions of dollars each year in the local economy, said Mr Ward.

"When you go shopping remember that you are a citizen, not just a consumer. Think about whether your purchasing decisions will keep your neighbour in a job, or put them on the scrap-heap.

"There's no downside because Griffin's are competitively priced against foreign imports, but plenty of upsides including more jobs, a stronger local economy, reduced trade deficit, reduced fuel use and fresher biscuits," said Mr Ward.

"While it may not be great for our waistlines, snacking on those Kiwi icons has to be good for the health of our economy," he joked.

Green Co-leader Rod Donald and Mr Ward recently met with Griffin's senior management in Lower Hutt and urged the company to keep both factories open.

Rod Donald rejected the suggestion of Hutt Mayor John Terris, who said Griffin's should centralise their operations in the Hutt Valley.

"New Zealand is big enough to support two biscuit factories as long as New Zealanders supported home-grown products," said Mr Donald. "It would be silly to close Auckland and freight biscuits there from the Hutt.

ENDS

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