Tensions with the Commonwealth
New Zealand's continuation of sporting contacts with South Africa created a political issue of tension between the nation and members of the Commonwealth.
Members of the Commonwealth protested that permitting the tour constituted an open breach of the Gleneagles Agreement. They felt that New Zealand's actions gave a clear impression that the country was willing to risk breaking its relations with its Commonwealth partners in the interests of rugby. Not surprisingly, the Commonwealth nations were angered, particularly those in Africa. There were threats of boycotts and sanctions made against New Zealand if the government did not make serious efforts to prevent the tour from continuing. The country ran the risk of jeopardising relations with Australia where the government voiced its strong opposition to the tour. Les Marty, the Australian Commonwealth Games Association President said allowing the tour to continue "is a bad decision and events will prove it to be the wrong one." The Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Conference, originally scheduled for Auckland as a forerunner to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Melbourne would be moved to a different country and there was also the possibility of an embargo on lamb trade between New Zealand and Arab nations.
There were also numerous suggestions, even from New Zealand's own Human Rights Commission who wrote a report to the government. They highlighted the fact that there were no laws preventing the government from refusing to allow the Springbok team to enter the country. The final decision regarding the tour was solely the responsibility of the government, not the Rugby Union. Nigeria was one of the six Commonwealth nations that attempted to persuade Muldoon to withdraw the rugby invitation to the Springboks. An unsigned statement was sent to the Commonwealth Secretariat before the tour began on June 1981 that said:
Members of the Commonwealth protested that permitting the tour constituted an open breach of the Gleneagles Agreement. They felt that New Zealand's actions gave a clear impression that the country was willing to risk breaking its relations with its Commonwealth partners in the interests of rugby. Not surprisingly, the Commonwealth nations were angered, particularly those in Africa. There were threats of boycotts and sanctions made against New Zealand if the government did not make serious efforts to prevent the tour from continuing. The country ran the risk of jeopardising relations with Australia where the government voiced its strong opposition to the tour. Les Marty, the Australian Commonwealth Games Association President said allowing the tour to continue "is a bad decision and events will prove it to be the wrong one." The Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Conference, originally scheduled for Auckland as a forerunner to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Melbourne would be moved to a different country and there was also the possibility of an embargo on lamb trade between New Zealand and Arab nations.
There were also numerous suggestions, even from New Zealand's own Human Rights Commission who wrote a report to the government. They highlighted the fact that there were no laws preventing the government from refusing to allow the Springbok team to enter the country. The final decision regarding the tour was solely the responsibility of the government, not the Rugby Union. Nigeria was one of the six Commonwealth nations that attempted to persuade Muldoon to withdraw the rugby invitation to the Springboks. An unsigned statement was sent to the Commonwealth Secretariat before the tour began on June 1981 that said:
It will be an act of flagrant violation of the United Nations international declaration against apartheid in sports and reckless breach of the Gleneagles Agreement of the Commonwealth, both of which the Govenrment of New ealand subscribed to... If the Government of New Zealand will not do so [stop the tour], the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will have no alternative but to seek application of the sanctions which the international community prescribe for countries that violate the laid-down code in sports. Along with other like-minded countries, Nigeria will work strenuously toward excluding New Zealand sportsmen from all future international games or of assuring mass boycott of all events in any international game in which New Zealand sportsmen take part.
The "like-minded" countries that had been referred to included Antigua, Jamaica, Lesotho, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; all of whom had written to Muldoon in June voicing very much the same opinion. In response to the African countries, Muldoon described the government's policies on sports contacts with South Africa as "clear and unequivocal." He defended his decision of not stopping the tour by saying that sports bodies having the right to choose whom they had sporting contact with was a basic freedom which he did not believe in taking away. Black African countries had also asked for a special meeting of the Commonwealth Games Federaton to have New Zealand banned from the Brisbane Games in 1982 or have the Africans boycott the games. The Minister of Justice in Papua New Guinea, Paul Torato spoke on behalf of his country by saying they will not support anyone who threatens or attempts to blackmail the Commonwealth games in Australia but they would also never support apartheid.
The British Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher was concerned about the growing tensions and requested for Muldoon to step in. The New Zealand government suggested to rugby administrators that the tour should be cancelled but they, themselves would not take action by withholding visas from the South African team.
This primary document is a cartoon by Peter Bromhead, published on the 22 July 1981. It depicts Muldoon giving a death certificate to a man representing the Gleneagles Agreement. A man is also seen committing suicide using a sword labelled "The Tour." The cartoonist is showing Muldoon not abiding by the clauses of the Gleneagles Agreement and putting the blame on the use of words in the Agreement ("discourage" versus "prohibit" of sporting contact with South Africa). The man committing suicide represents New Zealand knowingly allows the continuation of the Springbok tour to destroy the country's reputation as a decent country with very little social issues.
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