Use the feature the 1981 Springbok tour and the material on paragraph writing in the Teacher's Toolbox to help you complete the following activity.
From 1960 through to 1981, the issue of sporting contact with South Africa helped shape New Zealand's emerging identity as a nation. Some historians have described the 1981 Springbok tour as being the moment when New Zealand lost its innocence as a country and as a watershed in our view of ourselves as a country and people. As the rights and wrongs of apartheid were debated here, questions about racism in New Zealand were also raised.
Write three paragraphs of between 100 and 150 words each, describing:
- the ways in which New Zealand became concerned with the issue of sporting contact with South Africa between 1960 and 1981
- the actions taken by New Zealand governments (1960–81) regarding sporting ties with South Africa
- in detail, ONE way that sporting ties with South Africa in the period 1960–81 had affected New Zealand's relations with its traditional allies by 1981.
