The Governments attitude towards the tour
There were protests directed towards the government because of Robert Muldoon’s decision to let the tour go ahead. The National Government was called on to ban the tour under the commitments of the Gleneagles Agreement, but instead it was decided that they would not interfere. Muldoon left it to the rugby union to decide weather or not the tour would proceed. In the book ‘New Zealand as it might have been’ by Stephen Levine it states that “It was up to the rugby club to determine if the Springboks would come”. Despite the controversy, the New Zealand Rugby Union decided to let the tour take place. This was due to the view of the rugby supporters who believed that “sport and politics should not mix” as suggested in the book by Graeme Ball, ‘Big World, Small Country: The 20th Century & New Zealand’s Place In It’
In the book ‘By Batons and Barbed Wire – A Response to the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand’ by Tom Newnman there are quotes from both Muldoon and Kirk regarding the 1981 Springbok tour.
“ A Springbok Tour would engender the greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known…more important however is the effect which a decision to proceed with the tour would have in tarnishing New Zealand’s image as a multicultural community”- Norman Kirk
“A National Government would welcome a Springbok team to New Zealand even if there were threats of violence and civil strife… I believe sporting contracts will be one of six major issues of the election campaign…this is one issue on which people will change their vote”- Robert Muldoon
Muldoon was quite popular amongst the pro tour people. This was because he was set upon the idea of ‘bridge building’. This was where New Zealand would keep the sporting contracts with South Africa to show how a multicultural country like New Zealand could have good race relations. Muldoon's sympathy for rugby supporters was shown specifically when the Hamilton game was cancelled. The Government accused that the occupation of the pitch by protestors was a challenge against the rule of law.
There are different perspectives made on Muldoon’s decision to allow the tour to run. The book ’56 days- A History of the Anti- tour Movement in Wellington’ by Mark Wilson there is an article that develops on the government attitudes to the Springbok Tour. It suggests that the government made a clear point that they wanted the Springbok tour to take place. It states, “Every analysis of the Governments actions leads inescapably to that conclusion”. The Government believed that Springboks had a right to be in New Zealand however, they did not believe that the anti- tour movement had an equal right to protest.
In the autobiography by R.D.Muldoon the chapter called ‘The Sporting Question’ talks directly about his point of view towards the sporting contract with South Africa. He acknowledges the long lasting issue in South Africa but still believes that “In New Zealand we see sport as totally separate from any aspect of politics”. He believes that sport has become a means of countries to attack South Africa and New Zealand should not get involved in that.
Muldoon feared that cancelling the tour would mean he would loose much of his support from these areas in the next election. One of the reasons argued for why Muldoon was more pro-tour was so that he would not loose peoples support. There was not a significant difference between the amount of people for and the people against, as shown in a May 1981 pole. The statistics showed that 43% of people opposed the tour and 41% were in favour (however, by the end of the tour the figures reached 54% against and 42% for). In 1981 Muldoon narrowly made it through the elections as National won 51 seats to 41. However, in the 1984 elections Labour won 56 to 37 seats and that was the end to Muldoon’s leadership over the government. Muldoon was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the National Party.
References to this can be made in ‘Big World, Small Country: The 20th Century & New Zealand’s Place In It’ and ‘New Zealand as it might have been’
In the book ‘By Batons and Barbed Wire – A Response to the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand’ by Tom Newnman there are quotes from both Muldoon and Kirk regarding the 1981 Springbok tour.
“ A Springbok Tour would engender the greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known…more important however is the effect which a decision to proceed with the tour would have in tarnishing New Zealand’s image as a multicultural community”- Norman Kirk
“A National Government would welcome a Springbok team to New Zealand even if there were threats of violence and civil strife… I believe sporting contracts will be one of six major issues of the election campaign…this is one issue on which people will change their vote”- Robert Muldoon
Muldoon was quite popular amongst the pro tour people. This was because he was set upon the idea of ‘bridge building’. This was where New Zealand would keep the sporting contracts with South Africa to show how a multicultural country like New Zealand could have good race relations. Muldoon's sympathy for rugby supporters was shown specifically when the Hamilton game was cancelled. The Government accused that the occupation of the pitch by protestors was a challenge against the rule of law.
There are different perspectives made on Muldoon’s decision to allow the tour to run. The book ’56 days- A History of the Anti- tour Movement in Wellington’ by Mark Wilson there is an article that develops on the government attitudes to the Springbok Tour. It suggests that the government made a clear point that they wanted the Springbok tour to take place. It states, “Every analysis of the Governments actions leads inescapably to that conclusion”. The Government believed that Springboks had a right to be in New Zealand however, they did not believe that the anti- tour movement had an equal right to protest.
In the autobiography by R.D.Muldoon the chapter called ‘The Sporting Question’ talks directly about his point of view towards the sporting contract with South Africa. He acknowledges the long lasting issue in South Africa but still believes that “In New Zealand we see sport as totally separate from any aspect of politics”. He believes that sport has become a means of countries to attack South Africa and New Zealand should not get involved in that.
Muldoon feared that cancelling the tour would mean he would loose much of his support from these areas in the next election. One of the reasons argued for why Muldoon was more pro-tour was so that he would not loose peoples support. There was not a significant difference between the amount of people for and the people against, as shown in a May 1981 pole. The statistics showed that 43% of people opposed the tour and 41% were in favour (however, by the end of the tour the figures reached 54% against and 42% for). In 1981 Muldoon narrowly made it through the elections as National won 51 seats to 41. However, in the 1984 elections Labour won 56 to 37 seats and that was the end to Muldoon’s leadership over the government. Muldoon was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the National Party.
References to this can be made in ‘Big World, Small Country: The 20th Century & New Zealand’s Place In It’ and ‘New Zealand as it might have been’