The springboks were officially welcomed to new zealand at te pohoorawiri marae in gisborne just as they had been in 1965 on 19 july 1981. Sonia davies, who was 58 when she participated in a wellington anti tour protest. In 1981 the tour had great significance not just for new zealand and south africa but also for other commonwealth countries and african countries. For some the tour was a glorious period in new zealands history, but for others it was a very dark and disagreeable time filled with racism and hatred in our nation. The blow she received broke three ribs and crack two others. By all accounts it is shaping up to be a nonevent in new zealand with less than a third of those polled taking an active interest in the event despite rugby. The problems began early when the team began the long route to nz via the usa, as australia had prevented the apartheid team from entering their airspace. New zealanders during the 1981 springbok rugby tour of. The violent clashes between antitour protesters and protour rugby fans were evidence of a growing rift between the educated, urban middle class and the rural communities living in the provinces.
Cameron, don, barbed wire boks, 1981, auckland, rugby press ltd. My brotherinlaw, a police photographer, didnt like the shift towards more aggressive policing tactics at that time. Collected below are classic documentaries on the tour and subsequent mass protests patu. Veteran rugby administrator ron dons legacy on the national game is as strong as the stance he took on the 1981 springbok tour, which divided. The 1981 south african rugby tour known in new zealand as the springbok tour, and in south africa as the rebel tour polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across new zealand. During the tour no one was killed but many were injured by police and their batons. By all accounts it is shaping up to be a nonevent in new zealand with less than a third of those polled taking an active interest in the event despite rugby being the national sport of new zealand. The all blacks did not tour south africa until after the fall of the apartheid regime 19901994, although after the 1985 tour was cancelled an. Protesters had built up quite a stir in the main centres of. When sports minister trevor mallard welcomes the 2006 springboks at a parliamentary function this evening, it will be 25 years to the day since the divisive tour of 1981 began. Springboks and eagles was played in secrecy and a day ahead of schedule in order to deter.
He believes the protests would not have happened if there hadnt been such strong feelings about the springboks being in new zealand. Further information 1981 springbok tour nzhistory, new. The game against waikato was cancelled due to hundreds of antitour protestors who invaded the rugby pitch jul 29, 1981 antitour protest in molesworth street in wellington. After the events of the hamilton match the policing of the tour stepped up a notch as people had underestimated the power that the protestors had. Spir organized in an effort to help the springboks tour succeed. This became a topic of political contention due to the international sports boycott. First major demonstration against the sprinbok tour in new zealand. Controversy surrounded the tour because in south africa at the time was deep in apartheid. Many people were dissatisfied with muldoons decision to keep politics out of sport. Muldoon was the leader of the national party, which mainly represented the older conservatives, many of which lived in rural areas and.
Apartheid hadnt fully ended until the 90s, although many people believe that the springbok tour protest was a starting point for nelson mandelas freedom, he was freed from prison on february 1990 and initiated as the first democratically elected state president of south africa on 10 may 1994. Theres also an excerpt from tom scotts 2011 springbok tour drama rage. The 1981 tour was part of a long process that led to this significant change in south africa, and in this respect, it represented new zealands contribution towards a major international development in the closing decades of the 20th century. Maori affairs, launched a revamped program to engage maori. While the springboks were in new zealand two police units were formed, called the blue squad and the red squad, and they were escorts for the springboks. In the 1960s and 70s, many new zealanders had come to believe that playing sport with south africa condoned its racist apartheid system. Consequencesaftermath aftermath springbok tour 1981. The match between south africa and waikato at rugby park, hamilton, is cancelled after 350 antiapartheid protesters invade the pitch. Hopefully the following timeline and links show the extent of the.
Friendships and family relationships were harmed due to different perspectives on the tour. Dec 16, 20 by the time of the 1981 springbok tour, id been at home with young children for five years. There is not one specific entry for the 1981 springbok tour, but there is information about it in several entries such as nga ropu tautohetohe maori protest movements and government and sport. For some the tour was a glorious period in new zealands history, but for others it was a very dark and disagreeable time. Apartheid hadnt fully ended until the 90s, although many people believe that the springbok tour protest was a. When new zealanders became aware of the harsh treatment the black africans received due to the apartheid system that was implemented into south african society, many people sought to stop the tour. Springbok tour 1981 home national library of new zealand. More than 150,000 people took part in over 200 demonstrations in 28 centres, and 1500 were charged with offences stemming from these protests.
Springbok rugby tour 1981 many answers anyquestions. For 56 days in july, august and september 1981, new zealanders were divided against each other in the largest civil disturbance seen since the 1951 waterfront dispute. New zealanders protest against springbok rugby tour, 1981. Discover the reasons behind this civil disobedience, as well as the demonstrations, police actions and the politics of playing sports. The veterans of the 1981 springbok tour protests are still proud of having stood up for something they believed in, despite their scars. This primary source is very useful in showing, from a firsthand experience, the divide in new zealand society that game as a result of the different opinions about the tour. The soweto riots in 1976, where police shot down peaceful student protests and killed more than 170 young people, were wellcovered by media outlets and the international community was affronted with the violent realities of racial segregation and discrimination. There were varied opinions on the springbok team which was seen by some as representative of racism. Wherever the all white south african team went it faced protests by angry workers and. Aug 30, 2016 photo exhibition of 1981 springbok tour hamilton.
The 1981 tour could arguably have been stopped by the courts. The apartheid regime and term apartheid in south africa was introduced in 1948 as a part of daniel francois malans election campaign. Protests against the south african rugby team touring new zealand divided the country in 1981. The system allowed the afrikaan people to rule over the black and coloured people. People did not want them in our country for many reasons for example at the time of the tour, south africa was practising a policy of apartheid which was supposed to be separate but equal but was in fact incredibly unfair on the black population in south africa. The springbok tour 35 years on tuesday 19 july marks the 35th anniversary of the springboks arrival in new zealand for the 1981 rugby tour. Try revolution some argue that if the 1981 springbok rugby tour of new zealand had been halted from the outset, the impact on the hearts and minds of south africans would not have been as profound. Tour diary 1981 springbok tour nzhistory, new zealand. Doug rollerson of the 1981 all blacks recalled that it seemed very important for the all blacks to win the match, to show that a mixed team was superior to the segregated springbok side.
A long term consequence that we could consider as one the most important consequences was that this tour helped bring an end to the antiapartheid in south africa. A new poll in may 1981 showed that 43% of people opposed the tour with 41% in favour. As the 2011 rugby world cup opens up in new zealand we publish an interesting comment by miles lacey on the sharp class divide that was revealed during the 1981 south african springbok tour of the country. Carter familyschool programskids healthprimary schoolauckland slidersnew zealandgrowing upnostalgia. Despite all the pretour rhetoric and debate, few anticipated that the country was about to descend into near civil war, a war played out twice a week as the springboks moved from game to game. Apart from the incident with the drunk driver, who appeared to take offence at the. These people were strongly against the tour, dividing new zealand into those that were for the tour and those that wanted it stopped. The 1981 springbok tour on the international radar. His career included many interesting policies and incidents, but arguably the most dramatic was the springbok tour protests in 1981.
Stopping the 1973 tour 1981 springbok tour nzhistory. When the all blacks won, the sense of victory in new zealand was similar to the us victory over the soviet union in 1980 the triumph of righteousness over. The most controversial tour however was between these two great nations, but the issues wasnt because of what happened on the field it was rather about what happened of the field. The sole purpose of this was to keep white people in control of politics and the economy, because they new that the. By the time of the 1981 springbok tour, id been at home with young children for five years. Trevor richards however, says that the 1981 springbok tour protests were mainly about racism and a now bygone fanaticism for rugby, with an element of antimuldoonism.
And of course i knew about the 1981 springboks the common name for the. This was a tour of new zealands provincial heartland to the homes of grassroots rugby but the 1981 springbok tour pitched new zealanders against each. We took the children on two nonviolent antitour marches, at the beginning and the end of the campaign. Here police and protesters confront one another at palmerson north on 1 august 1981, when south africa played manawatu. Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Tuesday 19 july marks the 35th anniversary of the springboks arrival in new zealand for the 1981 rugby tour. The new zealand rugby union believed that its only responsibility was to administer rugby in new zealand. The 1981 springbok tour was a significant event in new zealand history as it caused a split in the population between supporters of the tour and people who were against it. The 1981 springbok south african rugby tour was among the most divisive events in new zealands history. This video is about 1981 springbok tour of new zealand. A short film for an exhibition at wellingtons museum of city and sea, where each of the last 100 years is represented by an artefact. A key cause of the protests at the 1981 springbok tour was increased opposition to the apartheid regime. Aug 24, 2011 veteran rugby administrator ron dons legacy on the national game is as strong as the stance he took on the 1981 springbok tour, which divided the nation. The apartheid was a system of racial segregation that was enforced through legislation by the national party.
Sep 12, 2011 as the 2011 rugby world cup opens up in new zealand we publish an interesting comment by miles lacey on the sharp class divide that was revealed during the 1981 south african springbok tour of the country. Consequences antispringbok tour protest in new zealand. These entries give a summary or timeline of events leading up to the tour. On 12 september 1981 eden park in auckland was the scene of the much vaunted flourbombtest and the conclusion of the most famous, albeit for the wrong reasons, tour in springbok history. Primary sources from the event new zealand protests. This leanne pooleydirected film aims to show how events in aotearoa captured in merata mitas documentary patu. The springboks and new zealands national rugby team, the all blacks, have a long. Some consequences of the 1981 springbok tour was that south africa never toured new zealand again till after apartheid in south africa had ended in 1994. The grassroots of the 1981 springbok tour semantic scholar. Anti springbok tour protestors at palmerston north, 1981. The long shadow of the 1981 springbok tour of new zealand and.
The majority of the support for the tour came from the more the small towns and rural areas where as the anti tour supporters lived in the cities and more often than not had university degrees or university entrance but the largest amounts of people against the tour were educated. The pro tour movement wasnt an organised group of individuals looking to publicize their views, they just retalliated to the anti tour protesters disrupting the tour often violently. Significance and effect antispringbok tour prostest in. Primary sources in new zealand taken from 56 days, a history of the antitour movement in wellington primary source one my family are very rugby orientated. The 1981 springbok tour of new zealand was a very significant event to new zealand. The 1981 south african rugby tour polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across. Apartheid one of the main reasons which lead to the 1981 springbok tour was the apartheid in south africa. A long term cause of the 1981 springbok tour protests was the apartheid system in south africa and the new zealand governments lack of action. The protour movement wasnt an organised group of individuals looking to publicize their views, they just retalliated to the antitour protesters disrupting the tour often violently. Apartheid is an afrikaans word meaning apartness or separation, during the 1920s and 1930s the white south african government passed many laws to segregate their society. Significance of the event antispringbok tour protest in. Stopping the 1973 tour 1981 springbok tour nzhistory, new.
Springbok tour protesters, 1981 government and sport te. In 1999 glenn woods biography cop out covered the tour from the perspective of a frontline policeman. A timeline created with timetoasts interactive timeline maker. Historical significance when we evaluate the significance of the tour we have to look at the effect it had at the time, how many people it affected, and what affects it had on the future. The conflict within new zealand over sporting contacts with apartheid south africa reached a peak in the protests against the 1981 springbok rugby tour of new zealand.
Robert muldoon was the 31st prime minister of new zealand from 1975 to 1984. Springbok tour protesters, 1981 government and sport. The springbok tour came to an end but was never forgotten among new zealanders, for 56 days there was conflict, and violence which left our nation divided. The controversy also extended to the united states, where the south african rugby team continued their tour after departing new zealand. There was a lack of government action taken regarding stopping the tour, regardless of pressure from the anti tour movement and other international countries. The controversy also extended to the united states, where the south african rugby team continued their tour after departing new zealand apartheid had made south africa an international pariah, and other. Opposition to apartheid grew throughout the 1960s and 1970s which many ralllied against.
The apartheid system was a type of racial segregation introduced in south africa in 1948. Actions were taken by antitour protesters had begun before the springboks arrived in the country on 19th july 1981. This statistic shows that the tables turned and people in new zealand were no longer so supportive if the tour, there was an opposition to the rugby union and the muldoon governments decisions, becoming one of the causes of the protests of the 1981 tour. Sep 23, 2015 this video is about 1981 springbok tour of new zealand. Wherever the all white south african team went it faced protests by angry workers and youth, and. During the springbok tour of 1981 there was a lot of protest and unrest about letting the springboks play in new zealand. The 1981 springbok tour details miles lacey 10 september 2011 from 9 th september to 23 rd october, 2011, new zealand will be the host to the 2011 rugby world cup. The central argument of the protour movement was that politics and sports should be kept separate but this was proved to be inaccurate.
Opinion around new zealand on the 1981 springbok tour. A shortterm effect of the 1981 springbok tour on new zealand society was the increasingly evident division in opinions and values between new zealanders from different backgrounds. Significance and effect antispringbok tour prostest in new. How ready new zealanders were to attack each other over ultimately a rugby match shows the rift there was within new zealand society during the course of the 1981. While consistently claiming that politics had no place in sport, it can be inferred from events that muldoon used the tour to his own advantage in terms of keeping his party. This was at a time when the apartheid regime was still in power in south africa. The apartheid regime in south africa was one that had been in place since 1948, the system was established by the afrikaner people of south africa. The 1981 springbok tour, despite the lamentations of the pro tour movement and the assurances of the government, was an intensely political endeavour right from the outset. Apartheid was a policy or system of segregation on the grounds of race in south. The 1981 springbok tour was a momentous time in new zealands history and has been the subject of much debate since.
By the early 1980s the pressure from other countries and from protest groups in new zealand such as hart reached a head when the nzru proposed a springbok tour for 1981. A short term effect was that it caused a divide between the country with immense disturbances to daily life. The 1981 springbok tour schedule map nzhistory, new zealand. Tour diary 1981 springbok tour nzhistory, new zealand history. Before the tour even started their was controversy in the springbok camp. A key cause of the 1981 springbok tour protests was the increased opposition to the apartheid regime in south africa, through raised awareness after the soweto riots in 1976.