''Patu!'' is a 1983
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
documentary film directed by
Merata Mita about the controversial
1981 Springbok tour
The 1981 South African rugby tour (known in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in South Africa as the Rebel Tour) polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extended to the United States, wh ...
. It follows the inner workings of the campaign against the tour, and captures scenes of violent conflict between police and protesters. It is a significant work of activist and indigenous filmmaking, and of New Zealand filmmaking in general.
Background
New Zealand’s
All-Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...
and South Africa’s
Springboks
The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...
have been
frequent rugby rivals since 1921. The Springbok team had been the targets of
protests over the last couple decades as a response to South African apartheid. The protests that met the 1981 tour were some of the most volatile in New Zealand history. It is said the campaign split the country between pro-tour and anti-tour, not least because of rugby's place in the country's national identity. The documentary takes a decisively anti-tour perspective, pointing the conversation about South African apartheid towards racial discrimination practiced in New Zealand.
Production history
Mita began producing the film as a 25-minute documentary for TVNZ, although its sensitive politics would necessitate the completion of the film independently. The film was created on a $41,000 budget contributed to by the
New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was establish