Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in New Zealand: Legacy and change

Abstract

Sociology is applied in New Zealand in numerous ways to planning, resource management and social change through social impact assessment (SIA). Sociological thinking and thinkers have played a significant part in the development of SIA since the late 1970s. This article traces the genesis of SIA in major energy projects, through neo-liberal restructuring to recent applications, and examines, in particular, the issues for sociologists in the nexus between theory and practice.