CAFCA Press Statements

2012

Lest We Forget: Warner Brothers Won 2010 Roger Award For “Hobbit” Affair

Amidst all the hype and hysteria of today’s world premiere of “The Hobbit”, let’s refresh our memories about its ugly beginnings a couple of years ago. Warner Brothers won the 2010 Roger Award for the Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand despite being a first time nominee (in racing terms, it was “the bolter” of the field). [More…]

Rio Tinto, Tell the Truth

The World Price For Aluminium Is Already Included In Your New Power Contract With Meridian. Every time that Rio Tinto, the gargantuan mining and processing transnational which owns 80% of the Bluff smelter, feels that its charmed existence in New Zealand is going to become less cushy, it threatens to pull the plug, close the smelter and walk away. (30 October 2012) [More…]

Who owns the South Island Power Grid?

Good Question. Don’t Assume It Is Transpower. The Government’s proposed partial privatisation of Mighty River Power, Meridian and Genesis Energy has focused attention on the ownership of our State-owned electricity generation companies. The majority of New Zealanders oppose the likelihood of such vital national infrastructure going into foreign ownership. [More…]

Rio Tinto, Stop Crying Wolf. Just Close The Bluff Smelter & Bugger Off

Here we go again. Every time that Rio Tinto, the gargantuan mining and processing transnational which owns 80% of the Bluff smelter, feels that its charmed existence in New Zealand is going to become less cushy, it threatens to pull the plug, close the smelter and walk away. Last time it did so (in 2008) was because of the Labour Government’s proposed emissions trading scheme. [More…]

Overseas Investment Office Says Rupert Murdoch Is Of Good Character – Because He Told Them So!

In May the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) wrote to the Overseas Investment Office: “In light of the recent finding by a British Parliament Select Committee that Rupert Murdoch is ‘not fit’ to lead a major international company, and in light of the fact that Murdoch’s News Ltd owns 43.65% of the shares of Sky Network Television Ltd, when is the OIO going to review, in terms of the Overseas Investment Act and accompanying Regulations, whether all of those in control of Sky are of good character and, if not, require Sky either to divest or Rupert Murdoch to relinquish any control of News Ltd?”. [More…]

Time To Put The Boot Into Insurance Companies

CAFCA congratulates Gerry Brownlee for “losing patience” with the insurance companies who are restricting Christchurch’s earthquake recovery to a snail’s pace. We are pleased that he has finally been forced to admit that these companies, most of whom are transnational corporations, are part of the problem and not part of the solution. [More…]

A letter to the Listener

The editorial (5/5/12; “Bring us your jobs: Without foreign investment New Zealand would be a poorer country”) contained so many myths that it is difficult to choose which one to demolish first. Let’s start with the facts of just how many jobs are provided by transnational corporations. (11 May 2012) [More…]

What Is Being Done About The Four Crafar Farms Bought By Natural Dairy Without OIO Consent?

The entirely predictable reaffirmation by the Government of its approval for Shanghai Pengxin to buy the Crafar Farms only involves 16 of them. But the fact that has disappeared from the political and media spotlight is that there were 20 Crafar Farms for sale. So what has happened to the other four? (30 April 2012) [More…]

It’s time for truth about how much NZ land is foreign-owned

The endlessly fascinating Crafar Farms soap opera focuses attention once again on the political hot potato of foreign ownership of New Zealand land. The Prime Minister, recognising the political toxicity of the subject, even among National voters, has tried to soothe public outrage by saying that less than 1% of New Zealand farmland is foreign-owned. The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) knew this was nonsense. If this figure was ever correct, it was a long time ago. (20 April 2012) [More…]

Windflow and General Dynamics: the old proverbial hits the turbine

The announcement that Christchurch wind turbine manufacturer Windflow Technology has signed a ten year licensing agreement with General Dynamics’ subsidiary SATCOM is eyebrow-raising in itself. General Dynamics is a gigantic US transnational corporation and a major manufacturer of weapons, military vehicles and military communications systems. [More…] (13 March 2012)

Roger Award finalist transgresses on a global scale

The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) declares its solidarity with the Canadian members of the United Steelworkers Union who are currently visiting New Zealand (Invercargill today; Wellington tomorrow) to gain support for their struggle against contracting out by their employer, Rio Tinto Alcan. [More…]

Roger Award finalists just keep on digging themselves a deeper hole

Old habits die hard. In the news today are two of the finalists for the 2011 Roger Award for the Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand who seem intent on getting themselves nominated again for the 2012 Roger Award. These transnational corporate recidivists are Sajo Oyang Corporation and the Oceania Group. (2 March 2012) [More…]

Crafar court decision a welcome outbreak of sanity

Justice Miller’s decision to order a review of the decision to approve the sale of the Crafar Farms to the appropriately named Milk NZ, owned by Shanghai Pengxin of China, is a welcome outbreak of sanity in this whole sorry saga. Not to mention a two fingered judicial poke in the eyes of the Government and its Overseas Investment Office rubberstampers. (15 February 2012) [More…]

Increase the tax on profiteering Aussie banks

News that the Big Five Australian-owned banks made a combined NZ profit of $3 billion in 2011 means only one thing – they’re making too much money out of us. They must be laughing all the way to the bank. Hang on, they are the bank. (11 February 2012) [More…]

Crafar Farms sale approval surprising only in that it took so long to rubberstamp

The announcement today of Ministerial and Overseas Investment Office approval of the sale of the bankrupt Crafar Farms to Chinese buyers is no surprise to the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA). The only surprise is that it took them so long to rubber stamp it. This was all supposed to be a done deal back in 2010 when it was supposed to be sold to the first lot of would be Chinese buyers. [More…]

No Corporate Welfare for Coca Cola and other Transnational Bludgers

Speaking at the opening of Coca Cola Amatil’s Christchurch bottling plant, group managing director Terry Davis called on the Government to consider “incentives” for food and beverage manufacturers. Why? This is a very slippery slope. Why should the New Zealand taxpayer subsidise a gigantic transnational corporation such as Coca Cola, one for whom the $15m cost of the bottling plant would be what its American executives would refer to as “chump change”? [More…]

Time For Government To Get Back Into Insurance Business

The Government announced this week that it has no plans to help Ansvar Insurance customers left in the lurch by their insurer’s December 31st exit from the New Zealand insurance market. That means that those unable to get new house insurance before their existing policies expire (January, in some cases) will be uninsured in further quakes and ineligible for Earthquake Commission support. [More…]

CAFCA Press Statements 2012