The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995 were foreshadowed by the 1975 National Party election statement to improve occupational health and safety in New Zealand. This thesis explores the historical paths this legislation and subsequent policies have followed and why particular streams of thought have surfaced and receded, while others have maintained their impetus. Like other areas of public policy, occupational health and safety in New Zealand is demand driven. An examination of structure, health and illness in the workplace; the often convoluted and complex relationships that have ensued; the impact of economics; and the contribution of hindsight from overseas experience combined to create a seventeen-year tortuous route to the 1992 Health and Safety in Employment Act.