National identity and controversy: New Zealand's clean green image and pentachlorophenol

In the 1990s regulatory bodies in New Zealand worked to develop guide-lines to clean up the contamination of land caused by the use of pentachlorophenol in the treatment of timber. In contrast, there has been little effort to identify and compensate workers contaminated at these sites. This paper explores some of the reasons why action over the contaminated land was relatively quickly taken, whilst there was a lingering controversy over the health of the workers who used pentachlorophenol. The case study suggests that symbols of national identity can play an important role in the resolution of controversy.