Roger Award
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The Roger Award For The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in New Zealand is an annual media campaign run since 1997 by two activist organisations, Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa and GATT Watchdog. The "winners" are chosen by a group of academics, activists, businesspeople and trade unionists.[1]
The awards bear the name of former New Zealand Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas, who instigated radical market-oriented reforms in the 1980s (also involved in the naming decision were New Zealand Business Roundtable director Roger Kerr, the verb "to roger", and the term "Jolly Roger").[2][3] These changes, reinforced by successor Ruth Richardson in the 1990s, made the country's economy one of the most open in the world. Through this period, the role and profile of multinational companies increased. The privatisations of Tranz Rail and Telecom, companies that have won Roger Awards, remain particularly controversial.
The 2006 award was announced on March 21, 2007. The nominees were Telecom New Zealand, Toll NZ, ANZ Bank, British American Tobacco, Progressive Enterprises, Contact Energy and ABB.
The Roger Award has been used as the model for similar campaigns overseas.
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[edit] Criteria
The winner is selected by evaluation of the judges made on four criteria, "Economic Dominance"; "Impact on people"; "Environmental damage and abuse of animals"; and "Political interference". This last criteria is judged on the basis of whether the nominee is "running an ideological crusade".
Having "won" on three occasions, Tranz Rail was inducted into the 'Hall of Shame' in 2003. It has ceased to exist having been absorbed by Toll NZ, a two time nominee. Telecom New Zealand has been nominated each year since 1997.
[edit] Past Winners
- 1997: Tranz Rail, New Zealand's largest rail operator
- 1998: Monsanto, a US-based manufacturer of agricultural products
- 1999: TransAlta, a Canadian power company
- 2000: Tranz Rail
- 2001: Carter Holt Harvey, a timber company
- 2002: Tranz Rail
- 2003: Juken Nissho, a timber company
- 2004: Telecom New Zealand, New Zealand's largest telco
- 2005: Bank of New Zealand and Westpac, banks
- 2006: Progressive Enterprises, the largest supermarket operator in NZ; Telecom was awarded runner-up.
- 2007: Telecom New Zealand, joint runners-up were British American Tobacco and Spotless. Other finalists included GlaxoSmithKline, ANZ Bank, APN News & Media, Independent Liquor, and Pike River Coal.
[edit] References
- ^ Chris Richards (June 2004). Interview about: the roger award. New Internationalist. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ Aziz Choudry (2001-05-02). NEW ZEALAND: Battling to derail the TNCs. Green Left Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ Aziz Choudry (April 2001). Battling to derail the TNCs in New Zealand. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
[edit] Links
- CAFCA - Roger Awards
- Scoop Independent News - 2005 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
- Scoop Independent News - 2006 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
