The International Legacy of the 1981 Springbok Tour
In the years following the 1981 tour, it became obvious that New Zealand’s international reputation had been damaged. In February 1990 Nelson Mandela's life sentence was repealed and he walked out a free man after 27 years of imprisonment. He was elected as the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. His first act as President was the repeal of all Apartheid laws. Nelson Mandela's election has been directly attributed to the long and arduous anti Apartheid protest movements internally and internationally. Therefore we can conclude that New Zealand's anti springbok tour protest movement played apart in the expulsion of the Apartheid system in South Africa. This may sound far fetched, however it is perfectly justified as those a part of the anti-tour protest movement knew at the time, "the whole world is watching", but not to the true extent. The great Nelson Mandela, himself, was being well informed on the developments of the antiapartheid movement whilst in his prison cell on Robben Island. Mandela stated that when he heard that the game in Hamilton had been cancelled, it was "as if the sun had come out." This reinforces the international impact of the tour which fits the classification for historical significance and hence reiterated that the 1981 Springbok tour protest was a historically significant event.
It was “as if the sun had come out.” - Nelson Mandela
When Mandela visited New Zealand in 1995 he went out of his way to personally thank many involved with the Anti-tour protest, as it has been suggested that the antiapartheid movement intensified as a consequence to the Anti-Springbok tour protest. From a historians perspective, this is the most significant consequence to come out of a protest movement in New Zealand as we played a major role in the end of the racially discriminatory system of Apartheid.
It was “as if the sun had come out.” - Nelson Mandela
When Mandela visited New Zealand in 1995 he went out of his way to personally thank many involved with the Anti-tour protest, as it has been suggested that the antiapartheid movement intensified as a consequence to the Anti-Springbok tour protest. From a historians perspective, this is the most significant consequence to come out of a protest movement in New Zealand as we played a major role in the end of the racially discriminatory system of Apartheid.