Alternative music was a cultural practice, which became a significant feature of New Zealand's local and national history over the last two decades of the twentieth century. Features of technology, economics and music culture influenced the creation and course of local independent music scenes, along with factors such as cultural remoteness. This thesis isolates and collates key factors and time periods of international music industry history, and refracts the information through alternative music in general, providing a coherent definition of the term. The history and definitions of New Zealand's alternative music history are then assessed for the period 1981-2001, with especial reference to the Flying Nun label and 'Dunedin Sound'.