New Zealand became the latest in a wave of governments placing restrictions on foreign investors, joining countries like Denmark and Switzerland, which have long restricted real estate investment by noncitizens.
The state has long restricted the conduct of candidates running for judicial offices, but its ability to enforce those rules has been challenged in court.
For example, the Pakistani government has long restricted where the C.I.A. can fly Predator surveillance drones inside Pakistan, limiting flight paths to approved "boxes" on a grid map.
For 20 years President Nursultan Nazarbaev has held a firm grip on power, and his government has long restricted fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion and expression.
Although the government has long restricted the work and words of opponents, its tolerance has diminished further since February, when unrest in the Arab world unnerved senior leaders.
In a country where prejudice and a lack of official support have long restricted opportunities for the disabled, the blind have fiercely defended their exclusive right to the business.
Freeskiing is different in Europe — not nearly as regimented as it is in the States, where concern over liability and the cost of insurance has long restricted or prohibited skiing out of bounds.
Turkey has long restricted the number of refugees entering the country, but it has generally drawn praise for keeping its borders open as rebel forces have gradually taken them over from the regime.
For Mercedes, the German automaker has long restricted its affordable, front-drive A-Class hatchback and B-Class minivan to foreign markets, suspecting that Americans would reject these practical-yet-frumpy machines.
China has long restricted the sale of foreign movies, books, music and other media and continues to do so while appealing a World Trade Organization ruling in August that these policies violate China's legally binding commitments to the international free trade system.
