Though historically separate, the Australian and New Zealand steel industries have become increasingly integrated since the 1990s. New Zealand’s steel sector, initially government-owned and developed independently, was modest in the 1960s but grew with government backing, notably through the establishment of the Glenbrook steelworks, which produces steel from abundant local iron sand. Following privatisation in the late 1980s, New Zealand Steel was acquired by Australia’s BHP in the 1990s, linking the two countries’ industries under BlueScope Steel.