The Country 09/07/25: Hunter McGregor talks to Jamie Mackay

We find our “Guy in Shanghai” back in his hometown of Roxburgh today, where he’s escaping the oppressively hot 40-degree summer heat. Today we discuss the seasonal variations on the Chinese economy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's our guy in Shanghai where it used to be
until he moved to Roxburgh only temporarily because that's where
he's from. In Central Otago, Hunter McGregor. Hunter would be
oppressively hot at this time of the year in Shanghai.
Is that why you migrate to the southern hemisphere to
get away from the heat?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, good afternoon, Jamie. Yet definitely. Now, when I left
Shanghai were sort of overnight lows of thirty and we're
getting up around highs of forty, just above forty during
the daytime, so it was quite nice to land in
Queenstown the other day to three degrees. When I left
Shanghai it was forty three, so a bit of a change,

(00:37):
and I like getting back for a bit of Central
Otago winter. You can't go wrong and looking at a
few new opportunities around. So if anyone wants to have
a bit of a chat reach out. Yes, I'm hit
down here for a few weeks and then I'll be
back into the heat.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Now, you did two start selling Jimmy's pies in Shanghai.
I reckon they'd go down a treat, wouldn't they.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
With the egg I've been seriously considering it. Also the
custod squares. I think the castle squares will probably go
better than the Jimmy's pies because the Chinese like a
bit have a good sweet tooth. So it's a lot
of good bakeries around, but they don't offer any causton squares.
So straight off the airplane into Jimmy's Pies, had had
a hot pie to warm me up, and then a

(01:20):
cheeky little custard square just to dessert on the way home,
so I couldn't complain.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
That's to die for, isn't it. Radio Before you left,
did you catch up with Prime Minister Luxeon while he
was over there?

Speaker 2 (01:31):
No, I did not. He had a very short visit
three days in China. Yeah, it's good. It was good
to see him up there. I think it was a
little bit short, but he managed to kick some big
goals and catching up with the senior manage that President
Shei and Beijing is very important and I hope to
see him back in the next week, while again maybe

(01:54):
a bit a little bit longer with a few other
different companies will be good. But it's good to see
him there, and you would have been a success, which
is good, and you know it's important that he does visit.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Every time I check to you, I ask about the
recovery of the Chinese economy. You're always a bit grim
on that one, but we are hearing that the Chinese
economy is recovering.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, well it's heading in the right direction, I would say.
But you know, at this time of the year it's
very hot, so we get a seasonal dip in people
buying stuff and going out because if people don't really
want to go out when it's forty odd degrees, you know,
for our business, July and August for restaurants and stuff

(02:38):
is absolutely dead. You know, it's too hot. People don't
want to go out. But then what we find the
last four months from September through December, we would sell
more than the first eight months. So it's a busy
time of the year. So it was sort of gearing
up for that and just yeah, getting getting ready and
having a bit of a break and actually coming down
and enjoying a bit of New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Hey Hunter McGregor, enjoy your stay in Roxburgh, enjoy the
cool climbs, and we might see you in Dunedin.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
He thanks Jamie,