Roger Award

The 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

Year Winner Runners Up Other Finalists Special Awards
1997 Tranz Rail, New Zealand's largest rail operator [4] Independent Newspapers Limited (INL), Coeur Gold Telecom New Zealand, Comalco, Westpac, Juken Nissho, Lion Nathan, Brierley Investments Limited
1998 Monsanto Company, a US-based manufacturer of agricultural products [5]
1999 TransAlta, a Canadian power company [6][7]
2000 Tranz Rail [8]
2001 Carter Holt Harvey, a timber company [9][10]
2002 Tranz Rail [11][12] Tranz Rail becomes 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, Pike River Coal
2008 British American Tobacco [21][22][23] Runner-up: Rio Tinto NZ Other finalists: ANZ Bank, Contact Energy, GlaxoSmithKline, Infratil, McDonald's, Telecom New Zealand Business New Zealand awarded inaugural Accomplice Award
2009 ANZ Bank [24][25][26] Runner-up: Rio Tinto NZ Other finalists: BNZ, Infratil, Newmont, Rymans, Telecom New Zealand, Transpacific and Westpac. Accomplice Award: Auckland City Council and its officials
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 Finalists: The four Australian-owned banks collectively (ANZ, ASB, BNZ & Westpac), Insurance Australia Group, Newmont Waihi Gold, Taejin Fisheries Co. Ltd, and Vodafone. Accomplice Award: The New Zealand Government, United Fisheries

People's Choice Award: British American Tobacco

2013 Rio Tinto[31] Sky City Casino, Chorus Finalists: ANZ, Chorus, IAG Insurance Group, Imperial Tobacco, Rio Tinto, Sky City Casino and Talent 2. There were several nominations for the Accomplice Award, all for the Government
2014 ANZ Bank[32] IAG/State Insurance Finalists: ANZ Bank, British American Tobacco NZ, Coca Cola Amatil, IAG/State Insurance, PGG Wrightson, and Rio Tinto.[33] Food & Grocery Council
2015 IAG/State Insurance[34] Serco Bunnings Warehouse, Westpac, MediaWorks New Zealand, Apple Inc.

References

  1. ↑ Richards, Chris (June 2004). "Interview about: the roger award". New Internationalist. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  2. ↑ Choudry, Aziz (2001-05-02). "NEW ZEALAND: Battling to derail the TNCs". Green Left Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  3. ↑ Choudry, Aziz (April 2001). "Battling to derail the TNCs in New Zealand". Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  4. ↑ "Roger Award for 1997". CAFCA Foreign Control Watchdog 87, June 1998. February 1998.
  5. ↑ "Roger Award for 1998". CAFCA Foreign Control Watchdog 91, August 1999. April 1999.
  6. ↑ "TransAlta Wins 1999 Roger Award". CAFCA. December 1999.
  7. ↑ "Roger Award for 1999: Judges Report". CAFCA. December 1999.
  8. ↑ "Roger Award for 2000: Judges' Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. April 2001.
  9. ↑ "Roger Award for 2001: Judges' Statement". CAFCA. February 2002.
  10. ↑ "Roger Award for 2001: Judges' Report" (PDF). CAFCA. April 2002.
  11. ↑ "Roger Award for 2002: Judges' Statement". CAFCA. January 2003.
  12. ↑ "Roger Award for 2002: Judges' Report" (PDF). CAFCA. January 2003.
  13. ↑ "Tranz Rail Shunted into Hall of Shame". CAFCA. June 2003.
  14. ↑ "Roger Award for 2003: Judges' Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. January 2004.
  15. ↑ "Roger Award for 2004: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. April 2005.
  16. ↑ 2005 Roger Award Finalists Chosen, Scoop Independent News
  17. ↑ "Roger Award for 2005: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. March 2006.
  18. ↑ Scoop Independent News - 2006 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
  19. ↑ "Roger Award for 2006: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. February 2007.
  20. ↑ "Roger Award for 2007: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. February 2008.
  21. ↑ "Roger Award for 2008: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. March 2009.
  22. ↑ Roger Awards: British American Tobacco NZ Ltd Wins, Scoop Independent News
  23. ↑ And the Roger Award for 2008 Goes To Stuff.co.nz: Frontline by John Minto
  24. ↑ "Roger Award for 2009: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. March 2010.
  25. ↑ "Roger Award 2009 Announcement" (PDF). CAFCA. 2010-03-11.
  26. ↑ ANZ Wins Roger Award for 2009 indymedia.org.nz, March 2010
  27. ↑ "Roger Award for 2010: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA.
  28. ↑ "Roger Award for 2011: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. April 2012.
  29. ↑ "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.
  30. ↑ "Roger Award for 2012: Judges’ Statement and Report" (PDF). CAFCA. 1 May 2013.
  31. ↑ "Rio Tinto Wins 2013 Roger Roger, Sky City Casino 2nd, Chorus 3rd". Scoop. 21 April 2014.
  32. ↑ "ANZ Wins 2014 Roger Award". Scoop. Scoop. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  33. ↑ "2014 Roger Award Finalists Named". Scoop. Scoop. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  34. ↑ "IAG/State Insurance Wins 2015 Roger Award".
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