Commodification and the making of a rural destination: Insights from Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand

Abstract

Commodification and its role in the diversification of the economies and cultures of small rural towns has been a key theme in the rural change literature since the 1980s. In its most recent manifestation commodification has occurred as a part of rural restructuring and has worked itself out in various ways where opportunities for capital accumulation have interacted with different local regulatory arrangements and production and consumption practices. Our research is interpreting how the commodification process has worked itself out in Cromwell District (South Island, New Zealand) since the late 1990s – a period which has seen Cromwell begin to emerge as a distinct tourism destination.