Perspectives on the Post-1984 Restructuring of State Forestry in New Zealand

Political economy literature is drawn upon to situate the widespread restructuring of the New Zealand state forestry sector since the mid–1980s. The discussion highlights a questioning of the economic functions and performance of the New Zealand Forest Service since the 1970s as a more significant contribution to restructuring than the environmentalists' campaigns over the preservation of indigenous forest. The unexpectedly short-term existence of the restructured forestry agencies is also commented on, as well as the contingent possibilities for the state if a more direct interventionist role in the forestry sector is again sought.