Key Dates & Events
What year did the Springbok Tour take place in New Zealand?
1981.
Who is this?
Robert Muldoon.
What does HART stand for?
Halt All Racist Tours.
Why did many people oppose the tour?
They opposed apartheid and racism.
Which country did the Springboks come from?
South Africa.
What happened in Hamilton on 25 July 1981?
Protesters entered the rugby field, causing the match to be cancelled.
Who is this anti-tour activist?
John Minto.
What was HART trying to stop?
Sporting tours involving South Africa while apartheid continued.
Why did some people support the tour?
They believed sport should be separate from politics.
What was the Gleneagles Agreement?
It was an agreement made in 1977 where Commonwealth countries agreed to discourage sporting contact with South Africa because of apartheid.
Where was the final test match played?
Eden Park in Auckland.
What event is shown here?
The Hamilton match cancellation after protesters entered the field.
Name 3 method protesters used during the tour.
Marches, demonstrations, blocking roads or entering rugby grounds.
Name one action police took during the protests.
They used different methods to control the crowds and make sure people could still get into the rugby games.
What was the name of the New Zealand organisation that campaigned against racist sporting tours?
HART.
On what date was the final test played?
12 September 1981.
Who are the two groups in this photograph?
Anti-tour protesters and police.
Who was John Minto, and what was his connection to the protests?
He was a prominent anti-apartheid activist and leader associated with HART.
What does the tour show about New Zealand society in 1981?
New Zealanders had strongly different views about racism, human rights and rugby.
Where was the first match of the 1981 Springbok Tour played?
Gisborne.
What happened during the final test at Eden Park that disrupted the match?
A small aircraft flew over the stadium and dropped flour bombs onto the field.
What unusual protest action took place during the final test at Eden Park?
A light aircraft flew over the ground and dropped flour bombs during the match.
Why did HART believe the tour should not go ahead?
It believed sporting contact with South Africa helped make apartheid seem acceptable.
How did protesters try to make their beliefs heard?
hey organised marches, carried signs, disrupted matches and publicly challenged the tour.
What was the main contradiction between the Gleneagles Agreement and the 1981 Springbok Tour?
Commonwealth countries had agreed to discourage sporting contact with South Africa, but New Zealand still allowed the tour to happen. This led to criticism and protests.