Council for Socially Responsible Investment asks John Banks to rethink his support for unethical fund
It is sad but not unexpected that John Banks should become involved with an unethical investment fund upon his
retirement from being Mayor of Auckland City. His regime at the Council was not distinguished by any regard for the
environment, and his fund is not either.
Albert Schweitzer wrote that the great fault of all ethics is that they have only dealt with the relations of man to
man. In reality, he said, the question is what is his attitude to the world and all life that comes within his reach.
Many ethicists have since joined Schweitzer in developing philosophies, values, codes and policies that deal with the
human-Earth relationship, but not many of these have been picked up by investment funds. Their investments continue to
destroy the planet rather than protect it. We would encourage John Banks to take the opportunity to rethink his values
and invest in ways that do not harm the ecological systems on which we humans depend for our survival.
ENDS