The 1981 Springbok Tour and the anti-apartheid movement in Palmerston North : a research exercise completed in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Batchelor of Arts with Honours at Massey University

Abstract

This research exercise examines the anti-apartheid movement in Palmerston North in the build up to, and during the 1981 Springbok rugby tour of New Zealand. This account seeks to illustrate the character of the movement in Palmerston North by focusing on the two main anti-apartheid organisations in the city, the local branch of the national movement Halt All Racist Tours (HART) and the local coalition Manawatu Against the Springbok Tour (MAST). The protests that they organised will be explored and the interactions between the two groups will be analysed. It is necessary to acknowledge that they did much more than organise protests, for example seeking to educate the public and lobby the government, but it is not within the scope of this study to analyse in detail these aspects of the movement.