<P> The role of the NZ police also became more controversial as a result of the tour . </P> <P> A planned All Black tour to South Africa in 1985 remobilised the New Zealand protesters and it was cancelled . </P> <P> New Zealand has a long history of sporting contact with South Africa, especially through rugby union . Until the 1970s this resulted in discrimination against Māori players, since the apartheid political system in South Africa for most of the twentieth century did not allow people of different races to play sport together, and therefore South African officials requested that Māori players not be included in sides which toured their country . Despite some of New Zealand's best players being Māori, this was agreed to, and Māori were excluded from tours of South Africa . Some Māori always objected to this, but it did not become a major issue until 1960, when there were several public protests at Māori exclusion from that year's tour . The protest group Halt All Racist Tours was formed in 1969 . Although this was an issue in which Māori were central, and Māori were involved in the protests, the anti-tour movement was dominated by Pākehā (white New Zealanders). </P> <P> In 1973 a proposed Springbok (South African rugby team) tour of New Zealand was cancelled . In 1976 the South African government relented and allowed a mixed - race All Black team to tour South Africa . However, by this time international opinion had turned against any sporting contact with South Africa, and New Zealand faced significant international pressure to cut ties . Despite this, in 1981 the Springboks toured New Zealand, sparking mass protests and civil disobedience . Although Pākehā continued to dominate the movement, Māori were prominent within it, and in Auckland formed the patu squad in order to remain autonomous within the wider movement . </P>

Where was the first rugby game played in nz