Ryan Bridge: The Kiwi trying to stop the Trump tariffs

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Rosemary Banks – remember that name.

She now has one of the most important jobs for New Zealand – a potentially $2 billion job.

She's woman in Washington DC, our ambassador to the United States.

Her mission: get us an exemption from Trump's tariffs.

The scale of the problem: massive.

Early estimates show that at 20% it could cost us $1.7 billion every year. Total exports currently $8.8 billion.

It can be done: the Aussies got an exemption on steel and aluminium in 2018 under Trump.

Is she up to the job? I'm told yes. If anyone can do it, Rosemary Banks is the person you want up there.

I'm told she has excellent contacts in the Republican Party and is working the phones hard.

She was asked to stay on by Winston Peters back in May, in anticipation Trump might get in.

She's the same ambassador who was in charge when we nearly got an FTA during Trump's first term.

Of course, it's not all on her. Winston and Todd McClay and Luxon will play their parts too. But the ground game is on Rosemary.

We may have some advantage here in that we export food, and food is something Trump probably doesn't want to make more expensive.

Then there's the uncertainty of whether Trump will actually make good on his campaign big talk.

Rosemary's not waiting round for that certainty, they have a plan and by God it better be a good one.

We like to hate on diplomats - oh they just go to nice dinners, drink wine and shmooze. Well, it's time to crack out our best pinot, use the contacts and make the deals happen.

The weight of our export nation is on your shoulders.

Best of luck.

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