Mixing business and politics: a toxic brew?

Demonstrators outside ASB’s Lambton Quay branch

Several NZX-listed companies were dragged into politics against their will this year.

I've written about Rakon previously and it's somewhat of a perennial target for anti-war demonstrations, particularly when Israel is involved.

That's because it makes frequency control and timing devices out of quartz crystals that are components in a wide variety of high-tech products from mobile phones, cameras, games, AI applications and in devices used in aerospace and in weapons and defence systems.

Rakon has said it wasn't aware that its products were incorporated into any of the weapons Israel's allies have been supplying it, but I don't imagine that will deter future protesters.