What was the significance of the Springbok tour?
Impact in South Africa 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 Zealand’s contribution towards a major international development in the closing decades of the 20th century.
What happened at the Springbok Tour 1981?
The eight-week tour that began in July 1981, saw about 150,000 people take part in at least 200 demonstrations nationwide. Some 1500 people were eventually charged with crimes as a result. Pauline McKay was the national chairperson of Halt All Racist Tours (Hart).
What is the perspective on the 1981 Springbok tour and why is it held?
The context of the 1981 Springbok Tour was the political climate at the time, specifically, that the legal status of citizens in South African was determined by their race. This was the era known as Apartheid, and it was how South African society was organised from 1948 until the end of the regime in 1991.
How was the 1981 Springbok tour significant for NZ?
In 1981 a Springbok team was permitted to tour New Zealand, and protests against the tour reached a level unparalleled in New Zealand history. This reflected the fact that both the Māori protest movement and anti-apartheid movement had developed significantly. It had a core of around 100 members, mostly Māori.
What were the impacts of the Springbok tour?
A short term consequence of the 1981 Springbok Tour Protests was the fact that New Zealand’s nation was divided into city and country. The nation was divided for 56 days, tensions grew within families and many friendships greatly suffered as a result of the tour.
Why was John Minto against the Springbok tour?
A 2000-strong group – Minto among them – opposed to the tour on the basis that playing sport with South Africa condoned its racially-divisive Apartheid system – marched on the ground.
What factors led to the protests that occurred during the 1981 Springbok tour?
The South African Apartheid that had been in policy in South Africa was a cause of the protests against the Springbok tour in New Zealand in the 1980s. This Apartheid segregated races into whites and blacks.
What were some of the contributing causes of the Springbok tour protest?
1981 Springbok tour The cause of this was the visit of the South African rugby team – the Springboks. South Africa’s apartheid policies and attitudes created obvious problems for New Zealand rugby, given the prominence of Māori in the sport.
Why was the Springbok tour Bad?
However, the game, which was to see the Springbok go up against Waikato, was cancelled due to the protests. The grounds were invaded by over a hundred anti-tour protesters, and gossip was spread that a light aircraft, which would be ideal for dropping things on the pitch, had been stolen from Taupo.
What was the Springbok protest about?
The Springbok Protests were the first protests in New Zealand where New Zealand was totally divided into two groups. The springbok protest was about issues with the South African Rugby Team playing rugby with the New Zealand Rugby team the All Blacks due to apartheid in South Africa at the time.
What happened during the Springbok tour protests?
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. More than 150,000 people took part in over 200 demonstrations in 28 centres, and 1500 were charged with offences stemming from these protests.
What was the story of the 1981 Springbok tour?
The 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand will sadly be remembered most for the political turmoil off the field, culminating in a light airplane circling the pitch during the final match in Auckland. This was the Flour Bomb Test.
When did the Springbok arrive in New Zealand?
The Springboks arrived on July 19, 1981. Though they were officially welcomed by the New Zealand government, there was a sense of dread and anticipation that surrounded their arrival – perhaps, some thought, the 1981 tour should have been cancelled like the tour in 1972 was.
Where was first protest against Springbok in 1981?
The Auckland protests at the Eden Park game was the climax of the tour games. The first clash of the 1981 Springbok tour occurred in Gisborne, but few expected it to be the start of a number of clashes that would leave a shadow over the whole nation.
What did John Minto wear on the 1981 Springbok tour?
This T-shirt was made for protestors to wear during the Springbok rugby tour of 1981. Features the protester John Minto’s helmet from Springbok rugby tour protests. Barbed wire barrier protecting a rugby ground from anti-Springbok tour protestors. Barbed wire barrier protecting a rugby ground from anti Springbok tour protestors.