significance to new zealanders
The 1981 Springbok Tour is an incredibly significant event in New Zealands history. The protest demonstrations by the anti-tour movement showed New Zealand as a country that saw the cruel injustice of the system of apartheid and did something about it. The demonstrations also showed New Zealands support and solidarity with those that were suffering under the racist system of apartheid. The campaigns against the tour and against apartheid where seen and heard world wide, it grabbed the attention of other nations and even Nelson Mandela himself.This event involved the entire nation, whether you were involved in the protests, apart of anti-tour movements and groups, a tour supporter who thought and believed 'sport and politics should not mix' or you were at home watching these events unfold creating your own ideas and opinions. The fact is that everyone had an opinion on the issue which reveals the level of significance the 1981 Springbok Tour and anti-tour protests to New Zealand society. There are also a range of significant consequences this event had on New Zealand and these can be categorised as being social, political or economic.
A social consequence of the 1981 Springbok Tour was the resurgence of Maori activism. New Zealand had been so caught up in anti apartheid action and worried about international race relations that they forgot about their own racial issues, in particular with the Maori. Instead of action for international issues, Maori believed that New Zealand should focus on its own issues before trying to solve an international affair. Many Maori wanted action and results for the grievances they have experienced and this prompted the 1984 land Hikoi to Waitangi, which prompted the question: “How can we celebrate Waitangi Day when there are still so many unresolved issues surrounding the Treaty of Waitangi?” This could be seen as an attempt by the Maori to redirect New Zealands attention to the issues in its own backyard. Also the Waitangi tribunal and its negotiations with the government became a focal point for Maori activism and as a result land at Bastion Point was given back to Maori in 1988.
Another social consequence was the divide that occurred in New Zealand society. The violence that occurred between those that supported the tour and those that opposed the tour had a considerable impact on the divide that occurred in New Zealand society. The scale and frequency of these clashes showed just how strongly Kiwis felt about their opinions and beliefs about the tour, revealing the level of significance the Springbok tour had to the entire country. The divide between the protesters and supporters turned into something much bigger, it developed into a divide between rural and urban communities. The urban population was more exposed to the world and were more socially conscious, while the rural communities lived mostly isolated from the world and its issues so failed to the see the bigger picture about what the tour represented.
It has been noted in various documentaries and other publications that the level of divide was so great that fathers stopped talking to their sons, brothers stopped talking to each other, uncles and nephews and so on.This also reveals the significance of the tour because of how opinionated people were.
It has been noted in various documentaries and other publications that the level of divide was so great that fathers stopped talking to their sons, brothers stopped talking to each other, uncles and nephews and so on.This also reveals the significance of the tour because of how opinionated people were.
This diagram clearly shows that the urban centres of New Zealand; Whangarei, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin are against the tour while the other rural communities support the tour. This division boiled over and led to many of the violent clashes that occurred over the course of the tour.
Lastly, there was an increase of activism for a number of other issues spanning the next decade, namely the anti-nuclear campaigns and the Homosexual Law Reform Bill, which was passed due to public action. The results of these campaigns have helped shape New Zealand and have a lasting legacy that still affects us today.
|
Economic consequences of the 1981 Springbok Tour can be considered the least significant however they still had an affect on New Zealanders lives. In preparation for the tour, the government set aside $2.7 million for Operation Rugby to make sure it ran smoothly. The amount of money set aside was grossly underestimated with costs blowing out to an excess of $15 million! The police also arrested over 2000 people, costs of policing was around 2.7 million.
A political consequence of the tour was the Labour party's victory in the 1984 elections. It can be argued that the reasoning behind Robert Muldoons decision to let the '81 tour go ahead was purely political. Muldoon had his own personal ambition which was to become the Prime Minister, he understood that the majority of New Zealand, especially the rural communities, wanted the tour so he gave the people what they wanted in order to gain votes. He was selfish in his reasoning behind the tour, Robert even stated that “even if there were threats of violence and civil strife” he would still go ahead with the 1981 tour as it would mean ‘people will change their vote’ and he would get into parliament. He justified his decision with the saying "sports and politics should not mix." This idea kept him in parliament in the short term however, by 1984 the thoughts and feelings of New Zealanders had changed considerably thanks to the eye opening anti- tour anti-apartheid protests. David Lange, leader of the Labour Party won the 1984 election in a landslide with his vision of a better New Zealand, David had the support of the country which was evident when he campaigned for an anti nuclear New Zealand. Changes such as these significantly affected New Zealand in the long term and allowed New Zealand to grow and move forward as a country.
David Lange
The New Zealand Rugby Union also suffered as the reputation and integrity of the sport was damaged until in 1987 when New Zealand won the first ever Rugby World Cup.
A political consequence of the tour was the Labour party's victory in the 1984 elections. It can be argued that the reasoning behind Robert Muldoons decision to let the '81 tour go ahead was purely political. Muldoon had his own personal ambition which was to become the Prime Minister, he understood that the majority of New Zealand, especially the rural communities, wanted the tour so he gave the people what they wanted in order to gain votes. He was selfish in his reasoning behind the tour, Robert even stated that “even if there were threats of violence and civil strife” he would still go ahead with the 1981 tour as it would mean ‘people will change their vote’ and he would get into parliament. He justified his decision with the saying "sports and politics should not mix." This idea kept him in parliament in the short term however, by 1984 the thoughts and feelings of New Zealanders had changed considerably thanks to the eye opening anti- tour anti-apartheid protests. David Lange, leader of the Labour Party won the 1984 election in a landslide with his vision of a better New Zealand, David had the support of the country which was evident when he campaigned for an anti nuclear New Zealand. Changes such as these significantly affected New Zealand in the long term and allowed New Zealand to grow and move forward as a country.
David Lange
The New Zealand Rugby Union also suffered as the reputation and integrity of the sport was damaged until in 1987 when New Zealand won the first ever Rugby World Cup.
key ideas
The 1981 Springbok Tour had a range of social, economic and political consequences that impacted immensely on the lives of New Zealanders making it a significant event. There was a resurgence of Maori activism due to the belief that New Zealand had forgotten about its own issues and the importance of Maori grievances and affairs. Instead of protest action for international racial issues, many Maori wanted action for their own rights and the 1984 Land Hikoi was a result of this. Other racial issues were brought to light and the Waitangi Tribunal was able to return land at Bastion Point to the local Maori Iwi in 1988. The violent clashes between tour supporters and tour protesters contributed massively to the divide in New Zealand society between the rural communities and the urban communities. The scale and frequency of these clashes showed just how strongly Kiwis felt about their opinions and beliefs about the tour, revealing the level of significance the Springbok tour had to the entire country. Those who supported the tour failed to see what the tour represented, which was the racist system of apartheid. The New Zealand government set aside $2.7 million for the smooth run of Operation Rugby, this was grossly underestimated as costs exceeded $15 million, no doubt having a huge impact on the tax payers. Robert Muldoon lost the 1984 election in a landslide to David Lange, the then Labour party leader. Muldoons reasoning behind his approval of the '81 tour was purely political. He had his own selfish ambition to become Prime Minister and he did this by giving the NZRFU and the tour his approval despite knowing what catestrophic results it would have on the New Zealand public. He justified this by saying "sport and politics should not mix.' However, this turned out to be his down fall. The significance of the anti-tour protests was an eye opening experience for many New Zealanders as it revealed the power of the people, our support and solidarity with those suffering, and a change in the social conscious. As a result of this David Lange was elected and he led New Zealand with his vision of a better future and one that was achieved. The significance of the tour inspired Kiwis to take up campaigns for other causes such as the homosexuality law reform and a nuclear free New Zealand, both of these achieved through David Lange and still impacts on the lives of New Zealanders today.