Barrie Saunders

Barrie Saunders is a principal of the Wellington, New Zealand lobbying firm, Saunders Unsworth. Saunders has been a lobbyist since 1990.

According to a biographical note Saunders has worked for the "pipfruit, fishing, and Douglas fir sectors. At present Barrie has 14-port company CEOs as clients in what amounts to a virtual organisation to deal with the full range of policy issues that affect ports." 

"Prior work includes journalism in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. He was the first editor of the National Business Review in 1970.  He was also Press Secretary to the Labour Party Leader 1976-79, Public Relations Manager NZ Manufacturers Federation 1979-83, Meat Producers Board Group Manager Public Relations 1983-86 and North American Director for the Board based in New York, 1986-90," it states. 

Saunders Lobbies Against Restrictions on DTC Ads
Following the release of a report by Dr. Les Toop and other researchers calling for an end to direct-to-consumer advertising in New Zealand, Saunders became an outspoken champion of the marketing. "The fact that, through DTCA, they also hope to sell more of their products should not be seen as negative. There are enough checks and balances in the system to ensure no damage is done to the health budget or consumers," he wrote in a response to the Toop report. 

Other SourceWatch Resources

 * Association of New Zealand Advertisers
 * Communications Agencies Association of New Zealand
 * Direct-to-consumer advertising in New Zealand
 * Researched Medicines Industry (RMI)

Biographical Note

 * "Barrie Saunders", accessed August 2006.

Articles & Reports by Saunders

 * Barrie Saunders, "Direct To Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs in New Zealand: Professor's "Protest to Government" Placed Under the Microscope", Saunders Unsworth, April 7, 2003.
 * Barrie Saunders, "Response", New Zealand Medical Journal, Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 22-August-2003, Vol 116 No 1180. (In this letter Saunders opposes a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising).
 * Barrie Saunders, "Direct to consumer advertising of prescription medicines - part of a well functioning democracy and economy", Association of New Zealand Advertisers, December 2005.