Customer Reviews

New territory: The transformation of New Zealand, 1984-92

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In the 1980s governments of the political left undertook broad reaching market reforms in both Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealand reforms (deregulation of almost all industries, removal of almost all tariffs and subsidies and later almost total labour market deregulation) were most pronounced.

This was combined with expected goals of the (new) left (recognition of traditional rights for indegenous peoples through the Treaty of Waitangi Act, and the banning of Nuclear Warships) to produce a Government which was particularly right leaning on economic matters and left leaning on social matters.

This book (along with Paul Kelly's "The End of Certainty) are the definitive description of this Antipodean social experiment, an experiment from which both countries are gradually retreating.

Bath water really does swirl down the drain in the opposite direction down here.