'Politics and SPort dont mix'
Key individuals and groups
Norman Kirk was the Prime Minister prior to Robert Muldoon, and leader of the Labour government from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. It was Kirk that controversially postponed the 1973 Springbok tour, sensing the uprising of the New Zealand public that would ensue. This decision, however, is likely to have contributed to Labours demise in the 1975 election.
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Robert Muldoon was Prime Minister of the National government from 1975-1984, including the 1981 Springbok tour. Muldoon sported the slogan "no politics in sport" and refused to stop the Springboks touring New Zealand. At the time this is what kept him in government for the 1981 election, but was ultimately his undoing when he was voted out of government in 1984.
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David Lange was the man who would take Labour back to power in the 1984 election. He succeeded Robert Muldoon's National government after action began to ramp up with anti-nuclear protests. He considered the opinion of the people more than Muldoon did, sighting what was best for the nation as more important than what was best for his government. Helen Clark describes his lasting legacy as being the introduction of anti-nuclear legislation.
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Ces Blazey was the NZRFU chairman from 1977 to 1986, throughout the most turbulent period in its history. He gave the pro-tour movement a face by being a prominent spokesperson at the time. He was obviously pro-tour, but remained courteous and never stated his personal views in interviews, rather, saying only the union policy. However, he firmly believed politics had no place in sport, and this resulted in a degree of naivety: ‘The primary purpose of the tour was to play rugby football. This was achieved’.
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Ron Don was the chairman of the Auckland Rugby Union in 1981. He was also pro-tour, and like Ces Blazey gave the pro-tour movement publicity. His view is shown in this quote from the 1981 Tour Special on ‘Close Up,’ on the 4th of July 2006. Don’s view was similar to that of many New Zealanders in 1981; he believed that sport and politics should not mix, and that rugby should not be interrupted by mere international policies such as the Gleneagles agreement.
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John Minto had a direct influence on the 1981 Springbok tour protests as the national chairperson of HART. Minto was at the centre of protests right across the country, including being severely assaulted in Hamilton during the pitch invasion. Minto has continued to be the leader of multiple public protests and movement to this present day.
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Halt All Racist Tours (HART) was a protests group that was originally set up in 1969 by John Minto, Tom Newnham, Trevor Richards and others to protest against the 1970 All Blacks tour of South Africa, but continued to oppose sporting contact with South Africa up until the early 1990's when apartheid was thrown out. HART merged with the National Anti Apatheid Council (NAAC) in 1980 to become HART:NAAC creating a more unified response to South African tours. This group was heavily influential in raising awareness nationwide about the apartheid regime and can be attributed with having a role in organising much of the protest action in New Zealand.
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The Society For The Protection Of Individual Rights (SPIR) was formed in 1981 as a group to provide an alternative view to the anti-tour groups such as HART. Another group formed was War Against Recreational Dispute (WARD) which also opposed the tour protests. These groups did not necessarily support apartheid but felt that politics had no place in sport and so actively worked to hamper the tour protest movement.
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The New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) now the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) organised and planned the 1981 Springbok tour and are responsible for it's going ahead. They saw the sporting contact with South Africa as just sport and did not believe in the political influence that sport could have at the time.
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