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]
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[edit] 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.
[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, and subsequently nationalised as KiwiRail by the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. Telecom New Zealand has been nominated each year since 1997.
[edit] Past winners
- 1997: Tranz Rail, New Zealand's largest rail operator
- 1998: Monsanto Company, 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
- Runner-up: Telecom New Zealand
- Other finalists: Toll NZ, ANZ Bank, British American Tobacco, Contact Energy, ABB
- 2007: Telecom New Zealand
- 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
- Runner-up: Rio Tinto NZ
- Business New Zealand awarded inaugural Accomplice Award
- Other finalists: ANZ Bank, Contact Energy, GlaxoSmithKline, Infratil, McDonalds, Telecom New Zealand.[4]
- 2009: ANZ Bank
- Runner-up: Rio Tinto NZ
- Accomplice Award: Auckland City Council and its officials
- Other finalists: BNZ, Infratil, Newmont, Rymans, Telecom, Transpacific and Westpac.[5]
- 2010: Warner Brothers[6]
- Other finalists: BUPA, Imperial Tobacco, Vodafone, Warner Brothers and Westpac
- 2011: To be announced
- Finalists: Adidas, Newmont Waihi Gold, Oceania, New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Ltd/Rio Tinto Alcan NZ Ltd, Sajo Oyang Corporation, Skycity Entertainment Group, Telecom and Westpac.
- Accomplice Award: the Government (in its own right and accompanying both Sajo Oyang and Telecom).
[edit] References
- ^ Chris Richards (June 2004). "Interview about: the roger award". New Internationalist. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_368/ai_n6143538. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ Aziz Choudry (2001-05-02). "NEW ZEALAND: Battling to derail the TNCs". Green Left Weekly. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2001/446/26186. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ Aziz Choudry (April 2001). "Battling to derail the TNCs in New Zealand". http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/rogtran.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0903/S00025.htm
- ^ "The Roger Award for The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2009". CAFCA. 2010-03-11. http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/2009ResultAnnouncement.pdf. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ^ Roger Award 2010
[edit] External links
- CAFCA - Roger Awards
- Scoop Independent News - 2005 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
- Scoop Independent News - 2006 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
