the 1981 Springbok tour
The Springboks were officially welcomed to New Zealand on the Poho-o-Rawiri marae in Gisborne on 19 July 1981. Few could have predicted the extent of the drama that New Zealand was going to experience in the following weeks. The tour could be explained as ‘a war played out twice a week’ as the Springboks moved from game to game. Many New Zealanders were prepared to risk physical injury in protest against South Africa's Apartheid system. Once the tour was in progress, the strategy changed to a two pronged approach. The movement would attempt to disrupt or stop the games themselves in the various centres as they were played, while people in other centres would organise large disruptive protests that would stretch police resources, preventing them from deploying reinforcements to the locations of the games themselves. Clashes took place at a number of venues across New Zealand as the tour progressed:
22 July, Gisborne
The first game against Poverty Bay on 22 July saw tour supporters and anti-tour protesters confront each other, face to face, for the first time. On the field, the visitors won 24–6. As was to be the case for the entire tour, however, the real action was taking place on the streets surrounding the venue.
25 July, Hamilton
A sold out 'Rugby Park' in Waikato was called off after a pitch invasion by several hundred anti-tour protesters. Also there were rumors that a light aircraft had been stolen from Taupō and was headed for Rugby Park proved too much for the authorities and the safety of the crowd. Nelson Mandela recalled that when he was in his prison cell on Robben Island and heard that the game in Hamilton had been cancelled, it was as ‘if the sun had come out’.
29 July, Molesworth Street, Wellington
Up to 2000 anti-Springbok tour protesters were confronted by police who used batons on Molesworth Street, outside Parliament in Wellington. The streets surrounding the stadium resembled a battlefield. 7000 protesters occupied central Wellington, blocking motorway exits as well as road and pedestrian access to 'Athletic Park'. Police used batons on anti-tour protesters for the first time and rugby fans brutally attacked the protesters. Former Prime Minister Norman Kirk’s prediction almost a decade earlier that a tour would result in the ‘greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known’ seemed close to being realised. Many people were injured, damaging our reputation as a peaceful country
15 August, first test, Christchurch
The All Blacks won the first test 14–9. Protest action at the ground and around the country led one policeman to recall that it was ‘sheer luck’ that no one was killed that day.
29 August, second test, Wellington
The tourists squared the series with a convincing 24–12 victory at Athletic Park. The streets surrounding the ground resembled a battlefield as major protests occurred. Action began early that morning when 7000 protesters gathered in central Wellington. Groups blocked the motorway exits into the city as well as road and pedestrian access to Athletic Park. Police responded by forming human wedges to allow rugby spectators through. There were many scuffles as protesters were dragged away. Some rugby fans lashed out at them with fists and boots and once more police batons were used on suburban New Zealand streets. Elsewhere there was disruption to television coverage.
12 September, third test, Auckland
The final and deciding test match saw the All Blacks win 25–22. Police saw continued protesting as ‘all hell broke loose’. Protesters fought with police outside the grounds. Also, the protesters took a different approach by dropping flour bombs on the field from a Cessna aircraft, while the game was being played.
22 July, Gisborne
The first game against Poverty Bay on 22 July saw tour supporters and anti-tour protesters confront each other, face to face, for the first time. On the field, the visitors won 24–6. As was to be the case for the entire tour, however, the real action was taking place on the streets surrounding the venue.
25 July, Hamilton
A sold out 'Rugby Park' in Waikato was called off after a pitch invasion by several hundred anti-tour protesters. Also there were rumors that a light aircraft had been stolen from Taupō and was headed for Rugby Park proved too much for the authorities and the safety of the crowd. Nelson Mandela recalled that when he was in his prison cell on Robben Island and heard that the game in Hamilton had been cancelled, it was as ‘if the sun had come out’.
29 July, Molesworth Street, Wellington
Up to 2000 anti-Springbok tour protesters were confronted by police who used batons on Molesworth Street, outside Parliament in Wellington. The streets surrounding the stadium resembled a battlefield. 7000 protesters occupied central Wellington, blocking motorway exits as well as road and pedestrian access to 'Athletic Park'. Police used batons on anti-tour protesters for the first time and rugby fans brutally attacked the protesters. Former Prime Minister Norman Kirk’s prediction almost a decade earlier that a tour would result in the ‘greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known’ seemed close to being realised. Many people were injured, damaging our reputation as a peaceful country
15 August, first test, Christchurch
The All Blacks won the first test 14–9. Protest action at the ground and around the country led one policeman to recall that it was ‘sheer luck’ that no one was killed that day.
29 August, second test, Wellington
The tourists squared the series with a convincing 24–12 victory at Athletic Park. The streets surrounding the ground resembled a battlefield as major protests occurred. Action began early that morning when 7000 protesters gathered in central Wellington. Groups blocked the motorway exits into the city as well as road and pedestrian access to Athletic Park. Police responded by forming human wedges to allow rugby spectators through. There were many scuffles as protesters were dragged away. Some rugby fans lashed out at them with fists and boots and once more police batons were used on suburban New Zealand streets. Elsewhere there was disruption to television coverage.
12 September, third test, Auckland
The final and deciding test match saw the All Blacks win 25–22. Police saw continued protesting as ‘all hell broke loose’. Protesters fought with police outside the grounds. Also, the protesters took a different approach by dropping flour bombs on the field from a Cessna aircraft, while the game was being played.
Key Ideas
Sporting contact with South Africa and the Springboks Tour in 1981 led to the greatest civil unrest New Zealand had ever seen, at least since the Depression riots of the 1930's. There were two clear views on the issue of playing sport with South Africa. Supporters of the tour were generally dedicated followers of Rugby who believed that sport and politics should not mix. Opponents of the tour believed that it was immoral to allow racially selected teams to come to New Zealand. Prior to 1981 there had been a number of tours to South Africa by the All Blacks, in which they hd excluded Maori players. However, international pressure began to mount in the years leading up to the 1981 tour. When an 8 week tour was proposed for July 1981 there was widespread division in New Zealand society as the issue polarised the wider community. The actions of the Police towards the protesters were harsh. However with the protesting being nationally publicised, some New Zealanders were being drawn to join the anti-tour demonstrators. The escalation of violence by the police led to an escalation of tactics used by the protesters. When police started to extensively use their batons, protesters donned crash helmets and padded clothing. Their was no love lost between the two sides of the public. The determination of the protesters was recognised on a global scale. It showed that through the brutality of the Police force, the New Zealand public does care for the injustices that people were experiencing across the Globe. However, due to the determined nature of both sides, there was an array of lasting consequences directed at New Zealand.