The New Zealand economy has undergone tremendous change since 1984, being transformed from one of the most regulated OECD economies to one of the most deregulated. Recently, the concept of a ‘knowledge economy’ has received attention in New Zealand, and policies are now aimed at creating such an economy. This study contributes to the debate by exploring the changes in the country’s information work force in recent decades, and by attempting to relate them to some of the major features of the economy which have to be addressed in the search for an appropriate knowledge economy model.