As a part of our games unit, the upper ESOL group read a play called “The Game”. It is a Ministry publication with illustrations by Toby Morris. It is about the 1981 Springbok tour. First we talked about children not being responsible for the policies of previous governments. Then we talked about having the right to our own opinions. We read the play several times, working on meaning and fluency.

Ms Finikin was five during this time. She told us about travelling up to Auckland from Hamilton on July 25, as her dad was worried about how big and dangerous the protests could become in Hamilton.

In 1981, Ms Finikin was 5 and there was this massive protesting. Then Ms Finikin’s sister had her own opinion so she decided to do the protesting with other people. When it was about to get started, Ms Finikin’s dad thought the protesting was dangerous so he decided to go to Auckland, which is 1 hour and 30 minutes away. They waited and had hot chips. After 30 minutes, they heard the car radio so they drove back to Hamilton again. – Emily

Ms Finikin’s sister was protesting and she got blood on her. Ms Finikin’s dad got all her family in the car. Then they drove to Auckland and her little brother threw up and got hot chips. Then they drove back to Hamilton. – Kian

Ms Finikin’s sister was a late teenager in 1981. She attended the Hamilton protest, with the promise that she would not go on the pitch. She got someone’s blood on her when the rugby fans bashed the man next to her.
We asked her questions about that day and she responded.

Why would people protest things? – Kian

Because they may feel that people are being bullied or that a situation isn’t right. People may feel they deserve more (when employees protest/strike for more money / suffragettes). They may feel their rights are being lessened (anti-vax protestors/recent protests in Hong Kong). People may be worried about what we are doing on certain things and want to draw a Government’s attention to a situation (Greenpeace and save the whales/climate change/Maori hikoi-Whina Cooper/Bastion Point)

Why did you think of doing the protests? – Milyn

Because I disagreed with the system of apartheid in South Africa and I did not think we should play rugby with them to put pressure on them to stop the way they were treating the majority of their people

How have the protests influenced NZ policies in time of domestic and international relations? – Tanu (‘s mum)

Are we talking specifically around the 1981 protest or all protest?
1981-domestically, the level of violence (from the police-Red Squad) was something that didn’t sit right with a lot of New Zealanders. We had, what I considered, was a very authoritarian Prime Minister, who used the issue to mobilise the Police, in a way, that I had not seen previously. Internationally, Nelson Mandela acknowledged the impact the NZ protest had in helping change his country.
If not 1981 eg. the Nuclear free movement, impact to ANZUS //bombing of Rainbow Warrior

Was everyone safe? How many people were there? Did anyone get pushed over?
– Emily

The game in Hamilton, where I protested, was called off after some protestors invaded the rugby pitch. When the rugby supporters came out they bashed into a man I was standing by. There were also a lot of reports as to injuries sustained because of Red Squad bashing protestors with their batons. I am not sure of the number of people. People marched up Queen St in Auckland (not on game day). There was also protests on game days in a lot of towns. The Hamilton game got called off. In the Auckland there was a plane dropping flour bags onto the pitch.

For a long time families, on opposite sides, wouldn’t talk to each other. NZ was very divided on this issue.

You got blood on you, didn’t you? – Ms Finikin

I don’t remember the blood, but probably. I should probably have walked back with the main party of protestors but I split from them. It was scary. The rugby fans came out of the ground very very angry. But my over riding memory, the raging, I have always remembered. I was standing by a protestor. The rugby crowd laid into him. One of them (the rugby fans) stopped the rugby guys from bashing him. I said to him are you on our side? His reply was that we were all on the same side. I got a job shortly after. My boss and one of the seniors spent a lot of time talking about the protest movement. I wasn’t prepared to tell them I was one of them.

Here is a huge resource on it.

We did lots of thinking and justifying of our ideas around this.

Should politics interfere with sports?

Maybe, because there is a no and a yes. Because you could make power from sports. You also can know stuff about their country.
No answer: In politics you can make decisions. In sports you can’t do that because you want your country to win, so you cheat. Some of the judges tried to make their country win. – Tanu

No because the politicians always think that people should follow their rules, but athletes who belong to that country, sport is really their life for them. I think that politicians shouldn’t tell the athletes to do stuff because of the situation that they’re in. Politics shouldn’t interfere in sports. – Emily

No, you should be selected to play based on your skills and abilities. – Kian

What do you think? Should the tour have gone ahead? Should the protests have happened?

I think, why do people protest about a game? I think, why do the watchers of the game beat up the protesters who just do no violence? I don’t think the tour should have gone ahead because why would it be a tour to do a rugby game? I didn’t think that there would be protests in a simple game of rugby.
No, I don’t think the protests should’ve happened because it’s just a simple sport playing with other countries.
My other reasons are how is shouting and carrying a sign going to work to cancel a game? – Tanu

1/ I don’t think doing protesting wouldn’t make much difference because I think they won’t change their minds. If there was a whole bunch of protesters, it wouldn’t be safe. I think the protesting is a bit dangerous in some ways because people might get into jail or get hurt.
2/ I don’t think the tour should have gone ahead because there was all those fights going on. All of the countries weren’t safe or calm at all. But I think that the rugby fans would’ve been really upset that they couldn’t see the rugby game.
3/ I think that if the whole wide countries just decided to make a decision it would’ve been more peaceful and not much of fighting. But because of people and how they look like doesn’t mean that you can judge people. – Emily

1/ No, it shouldn’t have happened. It just caused more trouble.
2/ No, because people got hurt and games got cancelled. Too much rage. – Kian