Australian and New Zealand Perspectives
Although they maintain their distinct identities, Australia and New Zealand are linked closely and together are often referred to as Australasia. Both countries claim to be "knowledge societies" and to value science and technology highly (if somewhat uncritically). Yet an apparent lack of understanding in government of the long-term character of scientific and technological development contributes to a perception among scientific and technical professionals that they have little political influence. Extensive corporatization and privatization of publicly-owned infrastructure during the 1990s was aimed largely at retiring government debt, while governments in both countries failed to provide effective support for the development of information- and sustainability-based technologies. However, early in the new century there were encouraging indications in New Zealand of government engagement with sustainability issues (Geddes and Stonyer 2001, Laugesten 2002). In Australia commitment to environmental/sustainability issues varies among and across the three tiers of government (federal, state/territory and local).
Historical Background
Australia and New Zealand had very different traditional cultures. Australian aborigines can demonstrate a continuous hunter-gatherer occupation of 40,000 years; in contrast, the Maori reached New Zealand as recently as 1000 to 1200 C.E., bringing with them a distinctive Polynesian cultural tradition.
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