1981 Springbok Tour Protests A timeline of events
Jan 31, 2016
1981 Springbok Tour Protests
A timeline of events
1921
First official series – South Africa played in New Zealand
1948
Apartheid becomes a legal system, under National Government led by Daniel Malan.
1950s
New Zealand considered peaceful, prosperous and integrated
1960
“No Maori, no tour” - petition signed against sending a race-based team.
1968
United Nations called for a sporting boycott against South Africa
1969
Halt Against Racist Tours was founded by University of Auckland students
1970
New Zealand Rugby Football Union did not select Maori players to tour South Africa up
until this time.New Zealand tour to South Africa – multiracial team because Maori were
considered as 'honourary whites'
1972
Norman Kirk, Labour opposition leader, promised not to interfere with the 1973
Tour in the lead up to the election.
1973
Tour postponed
1974
Christchurch hosted the Commonwealth Games
Black South African nations threatened to boycott the games if the tour in 1973 went
ahead.
1975
Robert Muldoon said the National government would welcome a tour of the
Springboks to New Zealand
1976
All Blacks tour to South AfricaBlack African nations boycott the Montreal
OlympicsSoweto riots
1977
Commonwealth heads of state meetingGleneagles Agreement
1980
New Zealand Rugby Football Union invite Springboks to tour New Zealand in
response to Muldoon's attitude towards Keep Politics Out Of Sport
1981
John Minto national organiser for Halt Against Racist Tours
19 July Springboks arrived for the tour
22 July 1981
Gisborne
25 July 1981
Hamilton
29 July 1981
Molesworth Street, Wellington protest violence
15 August 1981
First test in Christchurch
29 August 1981
Second test in Wellington
12 September 1981
Third test in Auckland
1992
Teams selected on the bias of race, due to Apartheid, up until this time.
1995
Rugby went professional