Springbok tour film hits big screen
‘‘Hamilton was an extremely violent town for 24 hours.’’ Landowners could affect funding for wildlife sanctuary
One of the most violent days in Hamilton’s history will be brought to life next week when a film about the infamous 1981 Springbok tour is shown for the first time on a big screen.
Rage co-writer and producer Tom Scott said it was ‘‘amazing’’ no one died in Hamilton the day the planned rugby game here between the white-only Springbok team and the All Blacks was cancelled due to protests.
‘‘Hamilton was an extremely violent town for 24 hours,’’ Mr Scott said.
‘‘People were being pulled out of ambulances and being attacked, ambulance officers were being pulled out and attacked too. It was just chaos.’’
Mr Scott, who was working as a press gallery reporter at the time of the tour, Tensions over the Maungatautari sanctuary are expected to come to a head this week when Treaty Settlements Minister Chris Finlayson meets with disgruntled landowners.
After months of closed-door talks, the outcome of Friday’s meeting is expected to give the clearest indication yet of the wildlife sanctuary’s long-term future.
The Maungatautari landowners have outlined a series of requests be met to guarantee their support of the sanctuary – including that any settlement of Treaty claims relating to the mountain exclude granting of the Maungatautari reserve to iwi.
Regional councillors yesterday voted said after the Springboks left New Zealand, a combination of exhaustion and possibly shame meant it went from being all anyone was talking about, to something no one talked about.
‘‘There’d been no novels, no poems, no short stories, nothing,’’ Mr Scott said.
An outspoken opponent of apartheid, he had a unique insight into what was happening in parliament, at the protests, and on the field. 8-4 against a motion to cease funding the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust.
Council staff have recommended councillors approve $300,000 funding for Maungatautari in 2012-13, $275,000 in 2013-14 and $250,000 in 2014-15.
Funding beyond 2015 is provisionally set at $200,000.
The council is expected to adopt recommendations in the draft long-term plan either today or tomorrow.
Council chief executive Bob Laing told councillors it was too early to take the Maungatautari funding out of the longterm plan.
However, if the pest-proof fence could not be legally protected, or access to the fence guaranteed, ‘‘then there is no project’’, Mr Laing said.
His brother-in-law, superintendent Grant O’fee, had a policeman’s perspective of events and so after years of debate they decided to co-write Rage.
Mr Scott said he made it a love story between a ‘‘beautiful young Maori’’ undercover policewoman and a ‘‘charismatic’’ student protester, because it made people want to watch it.
‘‘No one would want to watch a story about a pink, balding press gallery reporter or about (prime minister of the time, Sir Robert) Muldoon.
Rage was aired on television last year, but next Wednesday at 7.30pm it will be shown on a large screen at Southwell School. Tickets cost $30 each and are available from the school office or by calling 07 855 2089.
Five landowners have officially requested the fence be removed from their properties.
Mr Laing said if the landowners were not prepared to change their views he may recommend that the council stop funding the Maungatautari Ecological Island project.
Such a recommendation could be made in a matter of weeks, he said.
Councillor Theresa Stark said the project was unlikely ever to be financially sustainable and had failed to meet key performance indicators set by the regional council and other core funders, the Conservation Department and Waipa District Council.
To date, no landowners have signed permanent covenants securing the presence of the fence on their land, but 17 landowners have signed access agreements.
Ms Stark said the regional council’s previous investment in the sanctuary should not determine future funding decisions.
‘‘We need to take a cup of tea on providing any more funding because it’s a black hole. To continue funding would be a poor governance decision.’’
Councillor Jane Hennebry said despite millions of dollars of funding, the project was not self-sustaining and to commit any more ratepayer funding would be ‘‘criminal’’.
The upcoming visit of Sirocco the kakapo to the mountain later this year was unlikely to generate significant funding for the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, she said.
In reply, councillor Paula Southgate said the project was highly successful ‘‘from an ecological perspective’’ and the council’s role was to protect biodiversity.
She said it was sad that a small group of dissenters could have such a large impact on the project.