ABSTRACT
Any discussion of rural policies and plans in New Zealand must be set against a rather unique geographical and economic background. A remarkably small population of slightly more than 3 million people (less than the city of Sydney) inhabits two main islands with a land area larger than the United Kingdom, or larger than the combined areas of Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium. This population is supported by an economic basis historically dominated by farming, which provides over 60% of foreign exchange earnings (1986) but only 7% of gross domestic product (1984) and employs only about 10% of the labour force (1981).
