'Patu' poster

This poster was designed by Chris McBride of the Wellington Media Collective for Merata Mita's documentary Patu!  Mita brought together film of the violent clashes during the Springbok rugby tour protests in 1981.

The Springbok Tour was a seminal event in New Zealand's political and social history - exposing deep rifts in society. Many New Zealanders objected to the tour because of South Africa's policy of racial apartheid. Protests caused obstruction and the cancellation of games, and violence escalated between protesters, supporters and police during the tour.

Many people saw the tour as an opportunity to address racism in New Zealand. Māori protestors challenged non-Māori New Zealanders over the double-standard of fighting apartheid in South Africa instead of racism and deep-seated injustices here.