We were listening as we always do, to the dulcet tones of Sean Plunket on Morning report when he previewed a story on clothing manufacturer Davey Hughes of Swazi this morning. BB's son wears a bit of Swazi. Helicopter pilots, hunters, weekend warriors fishermen and farmers and muttonbirders swear by its sturdiness and fit. Hughes is one person we would like to meet one day. He has long long blond locks and a Grizzly Adams beard. He often appears incongruous as he dines with his wife Maggie in some of Wellington's better restaurants or as he pours over papers in the Koru Lounge. He is the thinking women's crumpet.
We digress......
Anyway his firm is a New Zealand success story and he has just lost nearly $2million in contracts he has had with Defence. That's about 15 - 20% percent of his business so its fair to assume that there will be layoffs.
There are trade issues and third party supply agreements here at play.
Anyway Hughes admits that the issue is not a simple one. But he is rocked by the irony that on the eve of the Job Summit the government delivers on one hand while on the other hand it taketh away.
Anyway this case, because it is an iconic company in this part of the world, will undoubtedly be a talking point at the Summit tomorrow.
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