ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of the contextual contours of the New Zealand case — and to provide some insight why New Zealand provides such an intriguing case for the study of the impact of globalization on national sovereignty. The doctrine of sovereignty is based on the notion of formal equality between states and also the principle of non-intervention in matters that are essentially seen as domestic affairs of a state. The chapter attempts to delineate the concepts sovereignty and globalization, and considers three competing schools of thought in the sovereignty-globalization debate. It examines the emergence of some of the major features of New Zealand state sovereignty. The impact of globalization over the last two decades is mapped out in terms of New Zealand's national identity, economic and political engagement, and security and foreign policy dynamics. Finally, some reasons are advanced why, in international terms, New Zealand constitutes a good case study of globalization.
