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, McDonalds, 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 |
References
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- ↑ 2005 Roger Award Finalists Chosen, Scoop Independent News
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- ↑ Scoop Independent News - 2006 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
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- ↑ 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
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- ↑ ANZ Wins Roger Award for 2009 indymedia.org.nz, March 2010
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External links
- CAFCA - Roger Awards