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A public choice framework is used to interpret and explore the implications of the dramatic New Zealand economic reforms initiated in 1984. The New Zealand deregulation experience holds lessons for other countries attempting to limit rent seeking and rationalize farm policies. Economic analyses of protectionist policies helped to change public opinion, an important precursor to policy reform. The reform of farm policies was made easier because other sectors were simultaneously restructured. The New Zealand deregulation experience emphasizes the importance of the institutional framework for real world political processes and suggests that constitutional issues warrant more attention in public policy analysis.