Well done Hamilton for doing the right thing

It was a gorgeous collection of Pa¯ keha¯ , but now they’ve gone and broken up the set. I could be wrong here (and feel free to let me know otherwise) but Hamilton’s council table appears to be so non-Ma¯ ori its collective headshots look like the results page from a Google search for the keywords ‘‘middle-aged’’, ‘‘caucasian’’ and ‘‘stock photo’’.

The Pa¯ keha¯ is strong in this group.

I bring this up because, following a Hamilton council vote, the city will now have five Ma¯ ori representatives appointed across a clutch of its committees. These representatives can vote.

This could be the best way forward for councils to get around the shockwave of resistance to moves to create Ma¯ ori wards.

Other councils around the country have approved Ma¯ ori wards, only to have them killed by public-initiated referendums. The good thing about these Hamilton appointments is that Johnny and Jane Redneck can’t get rid of them through a referendum. You’re stuck with them, Johnny, and the evil racism they apparently represent.

I think Hamilton, like most councils, is in desperate need of Ma¯ ori voices. I had a quick read of the councillor biographies on the council website and, sadly, nobody was putting up their hand and admitting to being tangata whenua. (If you are, don’t be shy.)

It begins at the top. I submit for your consideration Mayor Andrew King. Mayor King is a successful businessman, who started back in the 90s ‘‘installing and maintaining plastic extrusion machinery’’. ‘‘Microwave repeater equipment and push-to-talk radio systems’’ were part of his origin story. I’m not sure what the words for plastic extrusions are in te reo. He has a nice smile, though.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Martin Gallagher ‘‘developed his keen interest in politics as a child, on a trip to visit family in England in 1960’’. Sigh.

From there the rest of the council table is a long, tall cup of milky tea: cycling and ballroom-dancing enthusiasts, former cops, rugby club committee members. However, while these councillors might look like a collection of ageing Ken dolls, some of them have more than just a hollow noggin plopped out of one of the mayor’s extruders.

Yes, I’ve given them stick for a lack of diversity, but the five councillors and Mayor King who voted for the Ma¯ ori appointments are a shining example of decent, calm, rational leadership. The truth is that democracy won’t crumble as a result. Instead the city will benefit from the expertise added to the committees. It’s just the smart thing to do, and I salute the men and women who voted yes.

Contrast that with the jittery hysteria of councillor Garry Mallet. In a region where half a million hectares of Ma¯ ori land was confiscated by Pa¯ keha¯ , he stood at the council table and called the appointment of five Ma¯ ori representatives racist. He said the decision was ‘‘evil’’ and was essentially circumventing the opportunity for a referendum. (The words he used on Stuff were ‘‘snuck in’’.)

What I think is evil is that a semblance of – legally obliged – partnership with Ma¯ ori has to be snuck in at all, so belatedly, in a region with one of the country’s biggest iwi. But if sneaking is required to do the right thing, and push aside the Mallets of this country, then I say sneak away.

We need more of this sort of thing. If Ma¯ ori wards can be shot down by swathes of rednecks, then perhaps the councils that have had their decisions overturned can look at these appointments as a way to do the right thing. (If you want some interesting facts to understand why there should be better partnerships between councils and iwi, I recommend reading Stuff’s new interactive piece, New Zealand Made/Na¯ Niu Tı¯reni.)

I know, the whingers will say that such appointments as Hamilton’s are anti-democratic. But every other decision made by councillors around the country isn’t subjected to referendums by the bitter and mean-spirited.

Those desperate to extract every drop of democracy from their council can vote in the regular elections, anyway. I guess this is where the likes of Mayor King and his fellow councillors have shown real leadership. They have taken a risk – balancing doing the right thing with losing votes. But if they do their jobs well during this term, the voters won’t care about this sort of thing.

Personally I wish I could be there for the first committee meetings in Hamilton with guaranteed iwi representation – even if the newest members had to be snuck in.

For anyone interested, here was the vote. For: Paula Southgate, Angela O’Leary, Dave Macpherson, Ryan Hamilton, Geoff Taylor and Andrew King. Against: Martin Gallagher, Garry Mallet, Mark Bunting, and Leo Tooman.

The good thing about these appointments is that Johnny and Jane Redneck can’t get rid of them through a referendum. You’re stuck with them, Johnny.