Latest experiments 1973–1996
Abstract
The final three decades of the twentieth century bore witness to the most violent ruptures since colonisation and the two world wars. Revolutions in economic, defence, and public policy altered how this small country related to the world, shook the political landscape into new patterns, and unsettled the settler society. New Zealanders found themselves gasping from the change of water in their fishbowl, their ways of life buffeted and transformed. Suddenly – but not inevitably – governments demolished institutions that had been political defining features. It was as if, overnight, everyone lived in another country, so radical were the shifts in values.
Fields of Study & Subjects
New Zealand Economic and Social Studies
Island Studies and Pacific Affairs
Commonwealth
Australian Politics and Federalism
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Pages
- 221–248
- Publication date
- 9 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter