ABSTRACT
Distance has a special meaning for New Zealanders, who live in a small and isolated country at the bottom of the globe. Primary production has always been prominent in the New Zealand economy, so it is not surprising that rural and distance education have been, and remain, important dimensions of the national social and economic infrastructure. A feature of distance education during the last decade in New Zealand has been growing reference to open learning. A decade ago Renwick (1993) suggested that ‘The differences between open and distance education are matters for debate but both are usually defined in contrast with conventional face-to-face teaching. This conceptual distinction has become a settled feature of policy discourse in education.’
