  We investigate the properties of the two-dimensional distribution and
kinematics of ionised gas and stars in the central kiloparsecs of a matched
sample of nearby active (Seyfert) and inactive galaxies, using the SAURON
Integral Field Unit on the William Herschel Telescope. The ionised gas
distributions show a range of low excitation regions such as star formation
rings in Seyferts and inactive galaxies, and high excitation regions related to
photoionisation by the AGN. The stellar kinematics of all galaxies in the
sample show regular rotation patterns typical of disc-like systems, with
kinematic axes which are well aligned with those derived from the outer
photometry and which provide a reliable representation of the galactic line of
nodes. After removal of the non-gravitational components due to e.g. AGN-driven
outflows, the ionised gas kinematics in both the Seyfert and inactive galaxies
are also dominated by rotation with global alignment between stars and gas in
most galaxies. This result is consistent with previous findings from
photometric studies that the large-scale light distribution of Seyfert hosts
are similar to inactive hosts. However, fully exploiting the two-dimensional
nature of our spectroscopic data, deviations from axisymmetric rotation in the
gaseous velocity fields are identified that suggest the gaseous kinematics are
more disturbed at small radii in the Seyfert galaxies compared with the
inactive galaxies, providing a tentative link between nuclear gaseous streaming
and nuclear activity.
