David Naulls

The December 2009 issue marks 50 years of Consumer magazine.

I think all past editors would agree with me that it’s a privilege and a pleasure to edit a magazine that has had such an impact on New Zealand society over this period of time.

Our special feature on the first 50 years encapsulates much of what Consumer as an organisation has achieved over those years. These achievements – particularly in the areas of safety of children’s products and consumer law – are a testament to the hard work of present and past staff and board members. We can be justly proud of the impact we have made.

Of course, we couldn’t have achieved much of it without the support of our members. It is because of the steady financial support of members that we have the resources to independently test products and to undertake major investigations.

We have never been dependent on the advertising dollar, and so have been able to make judgements and assessments without fear or favour. Since 1989 we have been independent of the government as well, which allows us to subject government policy and services to the same rigorous scrutiny we apply to the private sector.

The nature of our work has changed over the years, and we test a much wider of products and services today than in the past – the list of which keeps growing alarmingly. While we still have a leading presence in appliances and whiteware, more recently we have developed a presence in telephone and power plans, complex financial services, electronics … and the list goes on.

Over the past year we have published 76 tests plus 12 surveys of various kinds, and that’s without our many user trials, buying guides and reports.

We have a proud history of investigative reporting and we’ve continued that tradition with our reports this year on the pricing of LPG, standards of care in rest homes, and the “scandalously poor” advice from financial planners.

We hope to bring you more of what we are good at next year, and I wish all our members and readers a safe and enjoyable holiday period.

David Naulls
Editor
Consumer magazine

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