Story: Anti-racism and Treaty of Waitangi activism

All-white All Blacks, 1928

All-white All Blacks, 1928

At South Africa's insistence, no Māori players were selected for the first All Black rugby team to tour South Africa in 1928. That meant leaving out star performers like George Nepia. The decision provoked New Zealand's first open protests against racial discrimination in sport. Māori players would continue to be excluded from tours to South Africa until 1970, when a few were admitted as 'honorary whites'.

Using this item

New Zealand Rugby Museum
Photograph by Crown Studios

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Robert Consedine, 'Anti-racism and Treaty of Waitangi activism - First sporting contacts with South Africa', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/26666/all-white-all-blacks-1928 (accessed 18 April 2024)

Story by Robert Consedine, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 28 May 2018