Roger Award
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]
Background
The awards bear the name of former New Zealand Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas, who introduced far reaching market-oriented reforms in the 1980s (also taken into account during 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 privatisation of Tranz Rail and Telecom New Zealand, companies that have won multiple Roger Awards, remain particularly controversial - since being given their first awards, they have been re-nationalised and unbundled respectively.
The Roger Award has been used as the model for similar campaigns overseas.
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, and subsequently nationalised as KiwiRail by the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. Telecom New Zealand has been nominated each year since 1997.
Past winners
- 1997: Tranz Rail, New Zealand's largest rail operator [4]
- 1998: Monsanto Company, a US-based manufacturer of agricultural products [5]
- 2000: Tranz Rail [8]
- 2001: Carter Holt Harvey, a timber company [9][10]
- 2002: Tranz Rail [11][12]—later installed as the first occupant of the Hall of Shame [13]
- 2003: Juken Nissho, a timber company [14]
- 2004: Telecom New Zealand, New Zealand's largest telco [15]
- 2005: Bank of New Zealand and Westpac, banks[16][17]
- 2006: Progressive Enterprises, the largest supermarket operator in New Zealand[18][19]
- Runner-up: Telecom New Zealand
- Other finalists: Toll NZ, ANZ Bank, British American Tobacco, Contact Energy, ABB
- 2007: Telecom New Zealand [20]
- Joint runners-up: British American Tobacco and Spotless
- Other finalists: GlaxoSmithKline, ANZ Bank, APN News & Media, Independent Liquor, and Pike River Coal.
- 2008: British American Tobacco [21][22][23]
- Runner-up: Rio Tinto NZ
- Business New Zealand awarded inaugural Accomplice Award
- Other finalists: ANZ Bank, Contact Energy, GlaxoSmithKline, Infratil, McDonalds, Telecom New Zealand
- 2009: ANZ Bank [24][25][26]
- Runner-up: Rio Tinto NZ
- Accomplice Award: Auckland City Council and its officials
- Other finalists: BNZ, Infratil, Newmont, Rymans, Telecom New Zealand, Transpacific and Westpac.
- 2010: Warner Brothers[27]
- Finalists: BUPA, Imperial Tobacco, Vodafone, Warner Brothers and Westpac
- 2011: New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited/Rio Tinto Alcan NZ Ltd[28][29]
- Finalists: Adidas, Newmont Waihi Gold, Oceania, New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited/Rio Tinto Alcan NZ Ltd, Sajo Oyang Corporation, Skycity Entertainment Group, Telecom New Zealand and Westpac.
- Accomplice Award: the New Zealand Government (in its own right and accompanying both Sajo Oyang and Telecom).
- 2012: Taejin Fisheries [30]
- Runners-up: Rio Tinto Alcan NZ Ltd/NZ Aluminium Smelters Ltd, King Salmon
- Accomplice Award: The New Zealand Government, United Fisheries
- People's Choice Award: British American Tobacco
- Finalists: The four Australian-owned banks collectively (ANZ, ASB, BNZ & Westpac), Insurance Australia Group, Newmont Waihi Gold, Taejin Fisheries Co. Ltd, and Vodafone.
References
- ↑ Chris Richards (June 2004). "Interview about: the roger award". New Internationalist. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ↑ Aziz Choudry (2001-05-02). "NEW ZEALAND: Battling to derail the TNCs". Green Left Weekly. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ↑ Aziz Choudry (April 2001). "Battling to derail the TNCs in New Zealand". Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 1997". CAFCA Foreign Control Watchdog 87, June 1998. Announced February 1998.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 1998". CAFCA Foreign Control Watchdog 91, August 1999. Announced April 1999.
- ↑ "TransAlta Wins 1999 Roger Award". CAFCA. December 1999.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 1999: Judges Report". CAFCA. December 1999.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2000: Judges' Statement and Report". CAFCA. Announced April 2001.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2001: Judges' Statement". CAFCA. February 2002.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2001: Judges' Report". CAFCA. Presented April 2002.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2002: Judges' Statement". CAFCA. January 2003.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2002: Judges' Report". CAFCA. January 2003.
- ↑ "Tranz Rail Shunted into Hall of Shame". CAFCA. June 2003.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2003: Judges' Statement and Report". CAFCA. January 2004.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2004: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. April 2005.
- ↑ 2005 Roger Award Finalists Chosen, Scoop Independent News
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2005: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. March 2006.
- ↑ Scoop Independent News - 2006 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2006: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. February 2007.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2007: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. February 2008.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2008: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. March 2009.
- ↑ Roger Awards: British American Tobacco NZ Ltd Wins, Scoop Independent News
- ↑ And the Roger Award for 2008 Goes To Stuff.co.nz: Frontline by John Minto
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2009: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. March 2010.
- ↑ "Roger Award 2009 Announcement". CAFCA. 2010-03-11.
- ↑ ANZ Wins Roger Award for 2009 indymedia.org.nz, March 2010
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2010: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2011: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. April 2012.
- ↑ "Rio Tinto Alcan NZ wins Westpac, Sajo Oyang & Oceania all equal runners up Government wins accomplice award" (Press release). Campaign Against Foreign Control and Ownership of Aotearoa and Gatt Watchdog. 2012-04-21.
- ↑ "Roger Award for 2012: Judges’ Statement and Report". CAFCA. Presented 1 May 2013.
External links
- CAFCA - Roger Awards