Patu! poster

This poster advertises Merata Mita’s political film Patu! which featured footage of the violent clashes during the Springbok tour protests. Like the thousands of still images taken during the tour, these moving images still shock with their ferocity and violence.

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.