KEY FIGURES AND GROUPS
The strength of the anti-Tour movement was largely guided by a number of organised protest groups and their leaders. These groups united the New Zealand public under common goals, and although these ideals tended to differ slightly from group to group, the overall aims were general enough for the groups and individuals to form larger coalitions that were capable of staging protests on a much larger scale.
The anti-Tour movement began long before the possibility of the 1981 Tour was even considered. New Zealand's anti-Apartheid movement in general realised during the 60s that restrictions on sporting contact with South Africa were key to isolating the nation and put considerable pressure on the South African government. Many groups and individuals that were involved in the 1981 movement had been present among the anti-Apartheid community for years, and a large number had already expressed their opposition to South African rugby tours when one was proposed in 1976.
The most prolific anti-Springbok Tour group was HART (Halt All Racist Tours). This group was formed by John Minto and Trevor Richards in 1969 to protest against the 1970 All Blacks tour of South Africa, and continued to oppose sporting contact with the Apartheid nation until the dismantling of the regime during the 1990s. HART merged with the National Anti-Apartheid Committee in 1980 and thus became a more well-rounded anti-apartheid group, which opposed all kind of contact with South Africa - not only sporting. The HART/NAAC alliance was responsible for raising awareness of the issues of racism in both South Africa and in New Zealand among the general public. The group itself did not lead the movement, as more specific protest groups were formed in each of the main centres throughout the country, but the leaders of most of these provincial coalitions were HART members and the ideals of the group were strongly reflected in the actions of local organisations.
John Minto was a prominent figure of the anti-Tour movement, as the National Chairperson of HART. Minto was severely assaulted by rugby fans in Hamilton during the 1981 Tour, reflecting the bitterness of the Tour supporters at the disruption and the danger of becoming the public face of such a campaign. Minto was one of many HART members who was especially interested in New Zealand's racial issues, and he recently stated that the Tour's greatest impact on New Zealand society was the stimulation of debate around racism in New Zealand and the place of our own Maori people.
The anti-Tour movement began long before the possibility of the 1981 Tour was even considered. New Zealand's anti-Apartheid movement in general realised during the 60s that restrictions on sporting contact with South Africa were key to isolating the nation and put considerable pressure on the South African government. Many groups and individuals that were involved in the 1981 movement had been present among the anti-Apartheid community for years, and a large number had already expressed their opposition to South African rugby tours when one was proposed in 1976.
The most prolific anti-Springbok Tour group was HART (Halt All Racist Tours). This group was formed by John Minto and Trevor Richards in 1969 to protest against the 1970 All Blacks tour of South Africa, and continued to oppose sporting contact with the Apartheid nation until the dismantling of the regime during the 1990s. HART merged with the National Anti-Apartheid Committee in 1980 and thus became a more well-rounded anti-apartheid group, which opposed all kind of contact with South Africa - not only sporting. The HART/NAAC alliance was responsible for raising awareness of the issues of racism in both South Africa and in New Zealand among the general public. The group itself did not lead the movement, as more specific protest groups were formed in each of the main centres throughout the country, but the leaders of most of these provincial coalitions were HART members and the ideals of the group were strongly reflected in the actions of local organisations.
John Minto was a prominent figure of the anti-Tour movement, as the National Chairperson of HART. Minto was severely assaulted by rugby fans in Hamilton during the 1981 Tour, reflecting the bitterness of the Tour supporters at the disruption and the danger of becoming the public face of such a campaign. Minto was one of many HART members who was especially interested in New Zealand's racial issues, and he recently stated that the Tour's greatest impact on New Zealand society was the stimulation of debate around racism in New Zealand and the place of our own Maori people.
Those who disagreed with the opinions expressed by anti-Tour organisations such as HART formed their own groups in order to oppose the anti-Tour movement and promote the sport of rugby, regardless of the competition. Two such groups that formed during the 1981 Springbok tour were SPIR (Society for the Protection of Individual Rights) and WARD (War Against Recreational Disruption). Tour supporters, in general, did not tend to be supporters of Apartheid - instead they believed that politics had no place in sport, and felt that their enjoyment of the sport of rugby had been unfairly restricted. The New Zealand Rugby Union understood this position and allowed the 1981 Tour to go ahead, with support from Robert Muldoon's National government, as they saw the long-standing rugby rivalry between the Springboks and the All Blacks as being completely separate and unrelated to the political make-up of their home countries.
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Norman Kirk was a Labour Prime Minister who was a key figure in the lead-up to the announcement of the Tour in 1980. It was Kirk who, in 1973, postponed a proposed Springbok Tour of New Zealand (despite promising not to interfere) after police informed him that a tour 'would engender the greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known.' This decision hurt Labour's popularity and contributed to their defeat at the 1975 election, which perhaps encouraged subsequent Prime Ministers to disengage with the mixing of politics and sport.
Ross Meurant was the leader of the controversial Red Squad, which was responsible for a large proportion of the police violence experienced during the Tour. |