Whether a country gains or loses from dismantling protection is a question which has received much attention in overseas studies; studies which deal both with the relevant theory and with actual measurement. The topic has not been well analysed in the New Zealand context. Discussion amongst economists and other interested parties has certainly occurred but this has been based more on philosophical and political considerations than on applied economic research. Since questions of protection reform affect the whole economy it is inappropriate to study such problems in a partial or selective framework which cannot capture the interdependencies between each and every sector in the economy. A multi-sectoral general equilibrium model overcomes th...