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. [cite web | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_368/ai_n6143538 | title= Interview about: the roger award | author = Chris Richards | work = New Internationalist | year = 2004 | month = June | accessdate = 2008-05-25 ]

Background

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"). [cite web | url=http://www.greenleft.org.au/2001/446/26186 | title=NEW ZEALAND: Battling to derail the TNCs | work = Green Left Weekly | author=Aziz Choudry | date = 2001-05-02 | accessdate=2008-05-25] [cite web | url = http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/rogtran.htm | year = 2001 | month = April | title = Battling to derail the TNCs in New Zealand
author=Aziz Choudry | accessdate = 2008-05-25] 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 Roger Awards, remain particularly controversial - since being given their first awards, they have been re-nationalised and unbundled respectively.

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.

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.

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.

References

External links

* [http://canterbury.cyberplace.org.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/index.html CAFCA] - Roger Awards
* [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0511/S00221.htm Scoop Independent News] - 2005 Roger Award Finalists Chosen
* [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0612/S00146.htm Scoop Independent News] - 2006 Roger Award Finalists Chosen