Roger Award Event Announced - March 2 in Auckland

The identity of the worst transnational corporation operating in New Zealand in 2008 will be revealed on March 2 at an event in Auckland.

Transnational corporations are assessed on their attempts to monopolise and profit at the public expense, as well as on their negative impact for people, animals and the environment.

“The Roger Award is here to highlight the transgressions of the transnationals” said Murray Horton, spokesperson for Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa who annually organises the Roger Award.

The Roger Award has run annually since 1997. This year’s award is particularly poignant given that Roger Douglas, the namesake of the Roger Award, has since returned to Parliament as a corporate friendly Act MP.

Telecom New Zealand won the Award last year for blatant monopoly profiteering and political interference aiming to maintain this monopoly, as well as for proclaiming they used “confusion” as a marketing tool. Will Telecom be the first transnational to win the Award two years in a row?

Or will it be ANZ because of the disgraceful role of banks in the global financial crisis? Or Rio Tinto for its blatant intimidation of the Government? Or Mcdonalds for its equally awful food and working conditions? Any number of the finalists are worthy winners – and all will be revealed on the March 2.

This year’s Roger Award is to be presented at an event on Monday March 2; 7.30 p.m at Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, AUCKLAND

The finalists for 2008 are (in alphabetical order):
ANZ; BAT (British American Tobacco NZ); Contact Energy; GlaxoSmithKline; Infratil; McDonalds; Rio Tinto Aluminium NZ (nominated under its former, better known, name of Comalco); Telecom

The criteria for judging are by assessing the transnational (a corporation which is 25% or more foreign-owned) that has the most negative impact in each or all of the following categories: Economic Dominance - Monopoly, profiteering, tax dodging, cultural imperialism. People - Unemployment, impact on tangata whenua, impact on women, impact on children, abuse of workers/conditions, health and safety of workers and the public, cultural imperialism. Environment - Environmental damage, abuse of animals. Political interference - Cultural imperialism, running an ideological crusade

The 2008 judges are:
Geoff Bertram, from Wellington, a Victoria University economist; Brian Turner, from Christchurch, immediate past President of the Methodist Church and social justice activist; Paul Corliss, from Christchurch, a life member of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union; Cee Payne, from Dunedin, Industrial Services Manager for the NZ Nurses’ Organisation and health issues activist; Christine Dann, from Banks Peninsula, a writer and researcher; Bryan Gould, from Bay of Plenty, a former Waikato University Vice-Chancellor.

The event in Auckland on the 2nd March will feature:
The announcement of the winner by chief judge, Geoff Bertram, of Wellington
A 30 minute episode of a well known comedy relating aptly to this years winner
Speaker Murray Horton (CAFCA)
An address from representatives of a group relating to the winner
Some musical numbers from local Auckland artists

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