The Goldilocks Solution: Exploring the Relationship between Trust and Participation in Resource Management within the New Zealand Commercial Rock Lobster Fishery Tracy Yandle, Nadya Hajj, and Rafal Raciborski Our understanding of the role natural resource users, and the governing institutions they create, has grown considerably in recent years. At the same time, our understanding of the role of trust in human interactions continues to grow. We use the case of New Zealand rock lobster (jasus edwardsii and Jasus verrauxi) to ask the question “What is the role of trust in an individual’s decision to participate in natural resource management institutions?” Using data from a survey of constituents of the commercial rock lobster fishery, our analysis shows an inverted “U” relationship between trust and participation. We suggest that this may be described as a “Goldilocks solution” in which having both too much and too little trust is problematic; but a healthy level of is “just right.” Theoretical and policy implications of these findings and directions for future research are explored. I. Why Participate in Resource Governance? Commons, particularly ones that many groups depend upon for their liveli- hoods or cultural heritage, are often subject to overexploitation and degradation in what is referred to as the “tragedy of the commons” (Gordon, 1954; Hardin, 1968). However, a well-established body of evidence shows that resource users are capable of developing institutions to govern resource use and prevent overharvesting (Acheson, 2003; Gibson et al., 2000; Ostrom, 1990, 2005, 2009). 1 An interesting example of this dynamic emerged in the New Zealand rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii and Jasus verreauxi) industry in the early 1990s. A diverse group met near Gisborne, New Zealand to discuss the state of the local rock lobster fishery. Commercial fishermen, processors, exporters, recreational fishers, the local Iwis (customary Maori interests), and environmentalists all recognized the need for radical change in fishery management. Over many months, these groups forged an *The authors would like to thank Daryl Sykes (New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry Council), Robert O’Reilly (Emory University Libraries Electronic Data Center), and the anonymous survey respondent. This work would not be possible without them. The Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 39, No. 4, 2011 631 0190-292X © 2011 Policy Studies Organization Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ.