Rapid Reregulation,Agricultural Restructuring,and the Reimaging of Agriculture in New Zealand1

Abstract As a member of the Cairns Group, New Zealand is an excellent case for investigation of the impacts of market-based restructuring and the emergence of new mechanisms for regulation. The paper examines how agriculture in New Zealand has been impacted by economic reforms that have fundamentally changed the nature and interrelations of regulatory arrangements and economic processes. The paper sketches the origins of New Zealand's agricultural crisis and the main features of the reforms, outlines developments in several global commodity chains (meat, dairy, apples) that since the mid 1980s have shaped regulatory and governance adjustments, and explores dimensions of a reimaging of agriculture in new conditions. The paper concludes that agri-food restructuring in New Zealand is implicated in the wider integrative project of globalization. Agriculture's reconstruction reopens the scope and terms under which New Zealand labor and households might be able to participate in the agri-food sector.     

Coming Across: Family Therapy in Australia and New Zealand*

In this Keynote Address I ask where family therapy comes from in Australia and New Zealand, as a way of seeing where it might go. I look at our histories, cultures and traditions and how they are connected. What happened to the old certainties of our field, and where do we take a stand today? How can we come across with courage, imagination and a sense of community? How can we maintain those impulses to justice and to remembering that psychotherapy stands for at its best?     

The geolinguistics of /l/ vocalization in Australia and New Zealand

Recent work in comparative sociolinguistics marks a re–engagement of variationists studying language change in progress with geography. In this study of the vocalization of /l/ in nine speech localities in Australian and New Zealand English, the geographical, the linguistic and the social constraints on variation are all included in the quantitative analysis. The usual identification of the starting point of change as the factor that is quantitatively ‘more’ is challenged by variable constraint hierarchies associated with speech localities as well as by the identification of Christchurch as the place of the origin of the sound change. Neither the gravity nor the urban hierarchy models of diffusion explain the geographical pattern of the sound change; a number of place effects are proposed as potential explanations, including the geographical variability of the vigorousness of the change. Variable isoglosses representing discontinuities in the dataset are mapped; they reveal the subtle patterns of sociolinguistic variation that mark the difference between Australian English and New Zealand English.     

Working collectively in competitive times: case studies from New Zealand and Australia

Collectives offer an alternative organisational structure toservice delivery organisations that seek to embody criticalsocial change. This model is challenging to implement as itsassumptions and values are contrary to the dominant socio-politicalclimate of economic rationalism. This paper explores experiencesof two workers employed as coordinators in collective-basedorganisations in Australia and New Zealand. They share the joysand challenges of these experiences, and conclude with fivekey reflections about implementing this model: keeping reflectiveand honest about philosophical assumptions, keeping processcentral, having robust conflict resolution processes, reflectabout the external factors influencing organisational structure,and finding ways to value workers.     

International migration: some consequences for urban areas in Australia and New Zealand

"This article provides a broad overview of literature on some of the consequences of international migration for urban and, in particular, metropolitan areas in Australia and New Zealand. The focus therefore is diverse; highlighting similarities in the experiences of each country...;and emphasizing long-term and permanent movements favoured by successive governments on both sides of the Tasman Sea.... The four sets of impacts discussed in this article relate to the population, labour force, residential and settlement patterns and social and cultural factors." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Vertical Farming: Social Work and Sustainable Urban Agriculture in an Age of Global Food Crises

Abstract

Environmental concerns, including issues of ecological justice, attention to sustainability, and focus on issues of food security have gathered increased momentum in social work. This article will trace the background of sustainable urban agriculture as a partial solution to the issue of global food insecurity and its impact on marginalised urban populations. It will review the development of a sustainable agricultural initiative called vertical farming and suggest that it holds promise for communities struggling with chronic food security problems. It will outline some tentative steps social work may consider in order to become more fully involved in support of vertical farming initiatives.     

Post-1945 international migration: New Zealand,Australia and Canada compared

"New Zealand's immigration policies and trends since 1945 are compared with those of Canada and Australia. For most of this period, Australia has pursued the more expansive immigration policy while Canada and New Zealand have tended to link immigration intakes to fluctuations in labor demand. All three countries initially discriminated against non-European immigrants but gradually moved towards nondiscriminatory policies based on similar selection criteria and means of assessment. New Zealand has traditionally been more cautious than both Canada and Australia in terms of how many immigrants it accepted and from what sources, but it has recently followed the other two in raising immigration targets encouraging migration from nontraditional sources, particularly Asian countries. Historical, global and national factors are drawn upon to explain the degree of convergence between these three societies."     

A history of population movement between New Zealand and Australia

"Migration between New Zealand and Australia has assumed considerable significance for both countries during the past 25 years. Commencing in the late 1960s, three major waves of net immigration from New Zealand have seen Australia's New Zealand-born population increase from 52,000 at the 1966 Census to 212,000 at the 1986 Census.... This paper aims to set these contemporary trends in historical context. So strong has been the tide flowing towards Australia that it is easy to imagine, erroneously, that it always flowed that way." Movements since the early 1800s are examined. Aspects considered include major periods of net migration, gender balance, short-term and permanent movement, and size and composition of immigrant groups. The impact of changes in migration policies over time is analyzed. The author's name is incorrectly listed as George A. Carmichael on this article. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Making Men: The Construction and Representation of Agriculture‐Based Masculinities in Australia and New Zealand*

Abstract Gender analyses of farming have become well established in rural sociological literature. In recent years, however, increasing attention has been given to the discursive processes influencing gender relations and identities. In the current paper I continue this trend by exploring how a range of key agriculture‐related masculinities are constructed and articulated in Australia and New Zealand. First, a conceptual discussion identifies the need to consider discourse and creation of knowledge and truths about masculinity. An outline of the research is provided. Then I report on two broad fields in which masculinity is constructed, namely the farm arena and industry politics. Finally, I make closing comments in relation to the possibility of alternative genderings of agriculture.     

Farm women in Canada,New Zealand and Australia redefine their rurality

This paper focuses on rural women's networks in Ontario, New Zealand and Australia. It investigates three issues: the social contexts in which farm women in Canada, Australia and New Zealand have developed new networks since the late 1970s; the responses of farm women in each country to the changes in the agricultural industry in the last two decades; and the way farm women's organisations are responding to contemporary changes in rural society. In the concluding section, the farm women's movement is interpreted in terms of agency and structure. It is suggested that the establishment of organisations that can speak for farm women at government levels has countered their deep sense of marginalisation and alienation within their industry. In keeping with the dynamic nature of contemporary society, farm women's organisations will need to be flexible and adaptable in order to facilitate quick responses to rapidly evolving economic an social issues.     

Redefining the Moral Responsibilities for Food Safety: The Case of Red Meat in New Zealand*

Abstract Food safety governance is shaped by social relationships among the state, the industry, and the public in the food system in a given country. This paper examines the contestation among actors in New Zealand's red meat chain over the implementation of the Animal Product Act of 1999 (APA), which became a cornerstone in the reform of food safety governance. The discussion focuses on the APA's impact on three types of social relations in the red meat chain, those between: (a) the state and the industry; (b) consumers and citizens; and (c) New Zealand and “offshore.” This paper argues that food safety governance is an important element of the moral economy in a given country and poses both policy and ethical challenges in balancing conflicting needs between the global and local agrofood systems.     

Reconciling Local with Global: New Zealand Muslim Women Articulating Faith in their Lives

This article explores the dynamics of personalised faith in the lives of minority and migrant Muslim women. Research that localises women's understandings of faith contrasts with the considerable literature that focuses on the transnational, politicised character of religion, as well as the discourses that examine religion as a form of gendered patriarchy. This article is a contribution to research that approaches gender and religion from a localised perspective. Drawing on the notion of ‘third space’, this discussion provides ethnographic narratives of Muslim women in New Zealand, focusing on four specific women. Each woman's story illustrates the significance of faith in her life, and demonstrates the unique, and interactive, ways that faith creates new meanings and interpretive possibilities in local contexts, as well as providing emotional solace and a source of coping with wider life stresses.     

Not Friend,Not Foe: The Rocky Road of Enfranchisement of Muslims into Multicultural Nationhood in Australia and New Zealand

This paper compares the images of citizenship available through multicultural policy provisions to the Muslim minority in Australia and New Zealand. Its enfranchisement is fraught with difficulties in both countries. A comparison between the two nations, however, shows some striking differences. Not only is there a considerable discrepancy between the images of citizenship and the images projected by this minority, but despite many similarities that both nations have in common, but this discrepancy also appears to be much larger in Australia. Some explanations for this difference will be offered.     

Corporate Environmentalism and Organic Agriculture in Australia: The Case of Uncle Tobys1

Abstract Recent expansion in the organic food industry represents an increasing awareness amongst an array of actors of the implications of conventional agriculture. In particular, the organic agriculture movement has been driven by both organic producers and consumers concerned about the environmental implications of food production and the health effects associated with food consumption. The recent institutionalization of the organic movement in organic regulatory bodies and through the involvement of food companies has encapsulated other actors within this network. This paper looks specifically at Uncle Tobys, a producer of breakfast cereals, which joined this network when it decided to produce an organic breakfast cereal called “Organic Vita Brits.” The integration of this company has expanded the range of actors participating within the organic network and altered the relationships between them. The temporary involvement of Uncle Tobys in the organic food industry has also resulted in a shift in the construction of meaning of “organic.” The limited success, despite many efforts to appeal to green consumers, of Uncle Tobys within this network suggests that organic food remains a niche product, consumed by a minority of consumers.     

A Contribution to the History of Family Therapy in Australia and New Zealand: A Bibliometric Perspective*

The content of the first ten volumes of The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy is analysed to provide a picture of the major themes and subject matter addressed in its formative years using the techniques of bibliometrics and content analysis. A methodology is developed for measuring the prevalence of subject content in the journal which could have application in other fields. The interdisciplinary character of family therapy is demonstrated by the diversity of cited end-of-article journal references. A list of most-cited journals is provided. The characteristics of authorship are discussed with respect to geographic dispersion, institutional affiliation, seniority and gender. The issue of collaborative authorship is discussed in relation to the patterns of co-authorship observed in this period, 1979–1989. The analysis identifies signs of the emergence of family therapy as a discrete field. The paper concludes also that there are positive signs of maturation of the journal. It offers some pointers about directions for the journal in the next phase ofits development.