Three hundred and fifty jobs at Heinz Wattie's are on the line and we’ve only got ourselves to blame. 

I’m including myself here. 

Because all of us have pretty much fallen into the trap of thinking cheapest is best. 

And, more often than not, if we think cheapest is best then we end up buying stuff from overseas and turning our backs on local products. 

Before now, I've never really signed up to that whole buy New Zealand made thing. There have been various campaigns over recent years, haven’t there? With the little buy New Zealand made tags and things. 

But hearing the news about Wattie's and thinking about the cheap fruit being dumped in New Zealand from China and the impact that alone has had on the company, I had a bit of an aha moment. 

That we really need to think seriously about the stuff we buy and where it comes from. 

I think buying New Zealand made probably matters more now than ever.    

The jobs at Heinz Wattie's are set to go because the company has plans to shut down three New Zealand factories. 

Frozen vegetables are one of Wattie's products that will disappear if the closures go ahead, with the company saying that it just can’t compete with cheaper products being imported from overseas. 

So, it’s the fruit thing all over again. 

Which raises the question: does New Zealand-made matter anymore? 

If I'm honest, I don’t think it does matter to most people. But i think it should.  

Because, as well as the 350 workers affected, there are also around 220 growers in the canterbury region alone who supply the Christchurch site.  

So they’ll be very worried too. 

And it’s not just Wattie's we’re talking about, either. 

As the union that represents the Wattie's workers is saying today, manufacturing closures are becoming more and more common. 

Other companies that have wound back their manufacturing here in New Zealand recently include carter Holt Harvey, Sealord in Nelson and Kinleith pulp and paper.  

And the people affected by these proposed closures have Wattie's in their blood. The average length of service is around 30 years. So it’s probably fairly safe to assume that there will be generations of families who have worked at Wattie's. 

Union delegate Kathy Perrin has worked at Heinz Wattie's for 46 years in different roles and is saying today that the impact on workers will be devastating. 

We might say we care about buying products made here but, when it comes down to it, I don’t think we actually do. 

But how important is New Zealand made to you? 

LISTEN ABOVE