The 1981 Springbok Tour in New Zealand was a historically significant event that affected many people on both a national and international level.
The South African Springbok rugby team was invited by the New Zealand Rugby Union to tour New Zealand, playing a series of tests throughout the country. However, the apartheid system in South Africa caused much upset. The civil and social disorder that occurred during the event shook the entire nation. The Springbok Tour resulted in a long lasting division in New Zealand as some supported the tour and some were strongly against. An immediate cause to the protests was the lack of government action to prevent the tour, motivating protestors to take matters into their own hands. It was the first time that New Zealand had specially trained and armed riot police who had to defend themselves against thousands of demonstrators armed with crash helmets and wooden shields. During the eight weeks that the South African rugby team was in the country, nearly 2000 New Zealanders were arrested. The tour became one of the biggest eruptions of violence that the country had ever seen and affected people politically and socially. The events that took place in 1981 in New Zealand were part of a slow process that contributed to breaking down apartheid in South Africa as the issue received much international attention, resulting from the tour.
The South African Springbok rugby team was invited by the New Zealand Rugby Union to tour New Zealand, playing a series of tests throughout the country. However, the apartheid system in South Africa caused much upset. The civil and social disorder that occurred during the event shook the entire nation. The Springbok Tour resulted in a long lasting division in New Zealand as some supported the tour and some were strongly against. An immediate cause to the protests was the lack of government action to prevent the tour, motivating protestors to take matters into their own hands. It was the first time that New Zealand had specially trained and armed riot police who had to defend themselves against thousands of demonstrators armed with crash helmets and wooden shields. During the eight weeks that the South African rugby team was in the country, nearly 2000 New Zealanders were arrested. The tour became one of the biggest eruptions of violence that the country had ever seen and affected people politically and socially. The events that took place in 1981 in New Zealand were part of a slow process that contributed to breaking down apartheid in South Africa as the issue received much international attention, resulting from the tour.