The 1981 Springbok Tour raised awareness about racism in New Zealand. Those who protested against apartheid in 1981 began to see that racism was still present in New Zealand not just overseas for we like South Africa have our own native people, not to the same extent as South Africa, but none the less Maori were being socialy outcast and frequently mistreated. New Zealand had previously always put forth the appearance of having perfect race relations, this was true to an extent for New Zealand was considered far less racist than many other countries like South Africa, but the 1981 springbok tour was a wakeup call for New Zealanders who realized they were not where they believed or would have liked them to have been. New Zealand society has grown more equal. Today extra effort is put into making sure Maori and Pacific students leave high school with qualifications and scholarships as well as tertiary education offered. The Springbok Tour may have not directly caused these factors, but it was at least partly responsible for many New Zealanders rethinking the issue of racism and cultural acceptance in New Zealand. In this respect the Springbok Tour in 1981 was of great significance to New Zealand.