"In the last decade, and particularly since the election of the Fourth Labour Government in 1984, New Zealand has experienced radical and dramatic processes of restructuring. A once heavily regulated and protected economy has been thrown open to market forces and the vagaries of interationalisation. The impacts of these changes have been far reaching, affecting almost every aspect of the country's economic, social and cultural relations. In this book, over 50 of New Zealand's geographers analyse the changes that have occurred: to companies and workers, to public and private sector activities, to regions and the environment, and to sense of place. It is a comprehensive and lively assessment of the state of the nation in the 1980s and early 1990s" -- Back cover.