Abstract
Political economy literature is drawn upon to situate the widespread restructuring of the New Zealand state forestry sector since the mid–1980s. The discussion highlights a questioning of the economic functions and performance of the New Zealand Forest Service since the 1970s as a more significant contribution to restructuring than the environmentalists' campaigns over the preservation of indigenous forest. The unexpectedly short-term existence of the restructured forestry agencies is also commented on, as well as the contingent possibilities for the state if a more direct interventionist role in the forestry sector is again sought.