With support from the Christchurch City Council's Intangible Heritage Fund, Our Stories Project is collecting stories of the 1981 Springbok Tour with students from Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery School in the central city.
Students have been trained on interviewing techniques with oral historian Emily Anderson and are conducting interviews with protesters, police, tour supporters and journalists. The audio is being professionally recorded by Our Stories Project and will be edited into mini-documentaries and mapped to locations.
"When the collection launches on the Our Stories website and the CCC Smartview App this year, you'll be able to walk the grounds of Lancaster Park and hear memories of the game there from multiple perspectives," says Our Stories Project director Kris Herbert.
"The students are amazing - they are very enthusiastic interviewers who have shown respect for multiple perspectives."
"An interview is an incredible experience for everyone involved. This idea has been a driving force of the project - along with making these stories accessible in the places they relate to."
Interviews will continue throughout term 2. Anyone with memories of this time to share should get in touch with Kris Herbert by emailing kris@ourstoriesproject.org.