Springboks, smoke bombs and Aparthied

Dale Husband Hone Harawira | Māori Activist and Former Parliamentarian

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Springboks’ Anniversary Today, Here to talk about that day is Māori Activist and Former Parliamentarian Hone Harawira who was present. Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination enforced in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 until the early 1990s. This system legally classified people by race and enforced strict social, political, and economic separation between them, severely limiting the rights and opportunities of non-white individuals. The apartheid regime eventually collapsed under international pressure and internal resistance, leading to its formal dismantling in the early 1990s. The 1981 Springbok tour involved the South African national rugby union team visiting New Zealand. The tour caused significant unrest and division within New Zealand because of South Africa’s apartheid policies. Protests turned violent, with clashes between protestors, police, and those who supported the tour. The event is seen as a particularly violent period in New Zealand’s recent history, highlighting societal divisions regarding race and linking opposition to apartheid with concerns about the treatment of Māori in New Zealand.

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