Foreword
One of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' aims is to provide policy advice to the Government, and information to farm businesses, rural communities and agricultural industries which will ensure an agricultural sector that is confident, profitable and self-reliant. While each regional council has an intimate knowledge of the demographic and economic structure of its region, it is important for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, as a national organisation responsible for developing rural policy, to have a broad overview of such intra- and interregional structures. More specifically, gathering regional economic and demographic information is a necessary step in the achievement by MAP of its contracted outcome of "adequate access to basic services for rural communities".
The research reported on here is a follow-up to an earlier publication New Zealand Regional Rural Diversity Part One: A 1986 Profile, which was financed by MAF and published as MAF Policy Technical Paper 92/14. This and the earlier report were carried out by James Newell of Monitoring and Evaluation Research Ltd, Wellington. New Zealand Regional Rural Diversity Part Two: Rural Change 1986-1991 looks at the nature and diversity of demographic and economic change in rural New Zealand between 1986-1991. The current study also explores the impact of restructuring in both the public and private sectors, as well as deflated agricultural commodity prices, on rural communities.
Like part one of this study, part two has shown that there is considerable diversity in
the characteristics of rural and minor urban areas, and in the changes occurring within
them. Any attempt to address issues needs to consider these differences if policies and
solutions are to be relevant to local communities and economies.
Dr Ann Pomeroy
Acting Director Rural Resources
MAF Policy
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Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
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