It's amazing how often history is reinvented for modern audiences. This otherwise gripping documentary on the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand was let down by Kiwi self-congratulation that has little to do with the facts.
We are told that not only did protests against the tour open white South African eyes to the injustices of apartheid, but the brave stance of the New Zealand people was a turning point in the fall of the South African regime.
The fact is the New Zealand government and many Kiwis supported the tour, years after the rest of world had shunned contact, and if anything New Zealand's sporting links with South Africa only helped prolong apartheid. Australia stopped official sporting links after the 1971 Springbok tour, noted for the declaration of a state of emergency in Queensland to crack down on protests.
In 1976, the All Blacks toured South Africa despite international condemnation, prompting 25 African nations to boycott the 1976 Olympics. The following year, Commonwealth countries including New Zealand approved the Gleneagles Agreement banning sporting contacts with South Africa, but New Zealand refused to honour the pact in 1981.
The anti-tour demonstrators deserve the highest praise for their courage and principles in the face of hostile opposition, but the 1981 Springbok tour is a cause for national shame not pride in New Zealand.
