The Culture of Tripartism: Can European Models be Adapted for New Zealand Use?

Abstract

For nearly one hundred years, industrial relations systems in New Zealand have had two basic characteristics: they have been largely prescriptive, and they have been relatively self contained. They have been prescriptive in that the institutions and the procedures that were set out in the law were designed around a fairly precise intended outcome, and it was clear how and when the system would deliver the intended result.