One of the main groups formed was HART (Halt All Racist Tours) was organized in New Zealand in 1969 this was formed so that they could protest rugby tours to and from South Africa. Their first protest, in 1970, was intended to prevent the All Blacks, from playing in South Africa, unless the Apartheid regime would accept a mixed-race team. South Africa relented, and an integrated All Black team toured the country. Because Prior to 1970 Māori players were excluded from All Black sides touring South Africa because of the apartheid regimen. South Africa then decided that they would accept the Māori’s as “honorary whites” This however lead to an upset because people felt that Māori’s should be accepted for who they are and be treated as equals and then some argued that politics and sport should not mix this also caused early divisions in the country.
Two years later, the Springboks arranged a tour of New Zealand. HART began to hold intensive planning meetings, and, after laying out their nonviolent protest strategies (HART focused on ant violent methods of protest) to the New Zealand security director who was going to be in charge for the tour, he was forced to recommend to the government that the Springboks not be allowed in the country. The Prime minster at the time was Prime Minister Kirk, even though he had previously promised not to interfere with the tour during his election campaign, decided that it would be for the best if he was to cancel the Springbok’s visit, citing what he predicted would be the “greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known.”
HART remained active in the anti-apartheid community, continuing to protest the Springboks, and helping to organize a boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The International Olympic Committee had not banned New Zealand after the All Blacks had toured South Africa, and many African countries saw this failure and as accepting of Apartheid
In 1980, New Zealand again attempted to bring the Springboks to New Zealand.
Also in 1980 HART merged with the National Anti-Apartheid Committee, becoming HART: the New Zealand Anti-Apartheid Movement. HART:NZAAM opposed all contact with apartheid South Africa, advocating the political, economic, social and cultural isolation of the regime. For more than 20 years it worked to raise public awareness of the realities of apartheid. Increasingly, especially in the 1980s, HART also took a stand against racism in New Zealand.
The Springboks arrived on July 19, 1981. Though they were officially welcomed by the New Zealand government, at Auckland there was definite sense of dread and anticipation that surrounded their arrival – some people thought the tour should have been cancelled like the 1972 tour but many thought that it should not have been. No amount of planning could have anticipated that the country would soon fall into “near civil war”.
Naturally with there being two opposing sides to the tour groups like Stop Politics in Rugby (SPIR) a pro-rugby tour group emerged that had been organized by people who wanted the tour to go ahead and they organized in an effort that helped the Springbok tour to succeed. Both of these sides wanted to be easily recognized on which side that they were affiliated with HART activists wore armbands for the entire duration of the tour and during this time they were subjected to constant ridicule from pro-tour activists and they were threatened with violence even though HART was strongly against violence and employed non-violent tactics. The SPIC also wore arm bands that made them identifiable throughout the tour.
Many people have noted that the divide could be seen as country vs city. It is well known that he country you lead a semi isolated lifestyle. Pro-tour was particularly strong in the countryside/rural small town New Zealand. An example of this was in the small isolated town of Eltham in the Taranaki region 50 protesters protesting against the tour were pelted with eggs and bottles as they marched up the town centre one friday night.
During the tour a survey was taken among the protesters and the findings were that over half of the anti-tour protesters had some form of university degree and another third of these people had university entrance and then in 1981 there were over 50,000 students enrolled in tertiary education. The survey found that the educated middle class were perhaps one of the most important people involved in the protest this was because they had been exposed to the international world of learning and they were very articulate. Another key group of people that the survey found to be involved in the anti-tour protest was the trade union members and working class activist who were fighting for a change in social justice, but by far the largest number of anti-tour protesters was the educated middle class people.
Some other groups that formed against the tour were groups such as "Students Against the Tour" and in high schools groups like "School Students against the Tour", "Women against the Tour" groups also emerged from Christian groups like "Catholics Against the Tour"
Two years later, the Springboks arranged a tour of New Zealand. HART began to hold intensive planning meetings, and, after laying out their nonviolent protest strategies (HART focused on ant violent methods of protest) to the New Zealand security director who was going to be in charge for the tour, he was forced to recommend to the government that the Springboks not be allowed in the country. The Prime minster at the time was Prime Minister Kirk, even though he had previously promised not to interfere with the tour during his election campaign, decided that it would be for the best if he was to cancel the Springbok’s visit, citing what he predicted would be the “greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known.”
HART remained active in the anti-apartheid community, continuing to protest the Springboks, and helping to organize a boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The International Olympic Committee had not banned New Zealand after the All Blacks had toured South Africa, and many African countries saw this failure and as accepting of Apartheid
In 1980, New Zealand again attempted to bring the Springboks to New Zealand.
Also in 1980 HART merged with the National Anti-Apartheid Committee, becoming HART: the New Zealand Anti-Apartheid Movement. HART:NZAAM opposed all contact with apartheid South Africa, advocating the political, economic, social and cultural isolation of the regime. For more than 20 years it worked to raise public awareness of the realities of apartheid. Increasingly, especially in the 1980s, HART also took a stand against racism in New Zealand.
The Springboks arrived on July 19, 1981. Though they were officially welcomed by the New Zealand government, at Auckland there was definite sense of dread and anticipation that surrounded their arrival – some people thought the tour should have been cancelled like the 1972 tour but many thought that it should not have been. No amount of planning could have anticipated that the country would soon fall into “near civil war”.
Naturally with there being two opposing sides to the tour groups like Stop Politics in Rugby (SPIR) a pro-rugby tour group emerged that had been organized by people who wanted the tour to go ahead and they organized in an effort that helped the Springbok tour to succeed. Both of these sides wanted to be easily recognized on which side that they were affiliated with HART activists wore armbands for the entire duration of the tour and during this time they were subjected to constant ridicule from pro-tour activists and they were threatened with violence even though HART was strongly against violence and employed non-violent tactics. The SPIC also wore arm bands that made them identifiable throughout the tour.
Many people have noted that the divide could be seen as country vs city. It is well known that he country you lead a semi isolated lifestyle. Pro-tour was particularly strong in the countryside/rural small town New Zealand. An example of this was in the small isolated town of Eltham in the Taranaki region 50 protesters protesting against the tour were pelted with eggs and bottles as they marched up the town centre one friday night.
During the tour a survey was taken among the protesters and the findings were that over half of the anti-tour protesters had some form of university degree and another third of these people had university entrance and then in 1981 there were over 50,000 students enrolled in tertiary education. The survey found that the educated middle class were perhaps one of the most important people involved in the protest this was because they had been exposed to the international world of learning and they were very articulate. Another key group of people that the survey found to be involved in the anti-tour protest was the trade union members and working class activist who were fighting for a change in social justice, but by far the largest number of anti-tour protesters was the educated middle class people.
Some other groups that formed against the tour were groups such as "Students Against the Tour" and in high schools groups like "School Students against the Tour", "Women against the Tour" groups also emerged from Christian groups like "Catholics Against the Tour"