'Mobilise July 3' poster

This poster was created for protests against the 1981 tour of New Zealand by the South African Springbok rugby team. Many New Zealanders objected to the tour because of South Africa's policy of racial apartheid.

The poster called for a nationwide mobilisation on 3 July 1981 in an effort to force the New Zealand government to reconsider the tour. The poster features a crowd of protesters carrying a banner seen at the earlier mobilisation on 1 May 1981. The image of a protesting crowd is important to protest propaganda as it shows solidarity with a cause and leaves a 'quotable' visual record, which can be easily repurposed for subsequent protest material.

Thousands of people marched throughout the country on both mobilisations. The tour went ahead (with the first game playing in Gisborne on 22 July), but protest action continued throughout, sometimes resulting in violence between protesters, supporters and police, eventually forcing the cancellation of two games.

Wellington Media Collective

The poster was designed and printed by Kathy Baxter, Dave Kent and Chris McBride of Wellington Media Collective. WMC was established in November 1978. Its mission statement 'We will work with you, not for you' enabled communities and activists to create advertising and protest material with the support of professional designers.