Racism’s dresscode not smart, nor casual

The Great War of Waiheke that marked the start of 2017 added a bizarre chapter to the history of racism in Aotearoa/New Zealand .

In case you missed it, His Mateship Sir Peter ‘‘the Mad Butcher’’ Leitch told Lara Wharepapa-Bridger the place her family had called home for generations was a ‘‘White Man’s Island’’.

The Mad Butcher’s PR advisor Michelle Boag then threw herself on the barbecue, referring to Bridger’s skin tone as ‘‘barely coffee-coloured’’.

Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy declared some of her best friends were butchers. And a chorus of ‘‘sorry if I offended anyones’’ and testimonials about the Butcher’s colourblind credentials added to the general bewilderment.

Thankfully all parties to the event made a few ‘‘key learnings’’. The Mad Butcher

That no white man is an island. Michelle Boag

That there is such a thing as casual racism. The wily political operator who hasn’t been sheltered from the sun’s harsher rays followed up her coffeecoloured remark by claiming she wanted a better tan. When you can no longer relate to the public, it’s probably time to quietly retire from public relations. Dame Susan Devoy

That sticking up for your mates doesn’t equate with being the voice of racial harmony. The Mad Butcher again

That there is no such thing as smart casual racism, no matter how many black or white tie charity fundraisers you lend your time to. Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway

That nearly 50 years after they wrote Melting Pot – made world famous in NZ by 80s girlband When The Cat’s Away’s – the term ‘‘coffee-coloured’’ would be used to stoke racial divide rather than heal it. And that there’s quite a bit of pot-stirring still required. Visitors to Waiheke

That a quadrupling of the island’s population in 25 years, 10 per cent year-on-year house price increases, gentrification and an explosion in visitor numbers, is likely to make families who have lived on Waiheke for generations feel less secure about their place. Casually smart observers

That Leitch has probably been using his popularity to get away with making unacceptable racial comments for some time. Councillor Dick Quax

That rather than interrupting a US holiday to tweet ‘‘Peter Leitch does not need to apologise to a race hustler seeking her 15 minutes of fame’’, he should stick to selfies with statues of Ronald Reagan. The Waihekian Wars came the week Murray McCully’s electorate office was targeted by someone claiming the foreign minister was a ‘‘Jew hater’’ and ‘‘traitor’’ after cosponsoring a UN resolution against Israeli settlements.

All of this reminds us we live in a country where countervailing racial winds are constantly buffeting each other, occasionally drawn into plain sight via social media.

For these lessons, we have Lara Wharepapa-Bridge to thank.