Highs and lows of 2019 Hamilton
Lows 1.
Siggi Henry parks in a disabled parking space.
When our foot-in-mouth local body representative arrived late for a meeting at the Hamilton Gardens in September she annexed a space designed for others, later explaining that ‘‘she was German’’. A pity her vehicle had her face painted on its side. And that an election loomed. Hamilton is again a national laughing stock, courtesy of our politicians.
The closure of the last two franchise DVD rental stores.
United Video closed its Claudelands store in April. Video Ezy shut up shop in Hillcrest in December. Truly the end of an era. Only one option remains for Hamiltonians whose appetite for audiovisual pleasure is not completely sated online.
Richard Briggs spends $15,000 of ratepayer money on a mayoral candidates debate.
Few would disagree with the goal of increasing voter turnout for the election, but why waste an undisclosed – but no doubt hefty – sum on Mike McRoberts as emcee, or schedule the event on the same night as the Hamilton Central Business Association’s annual awards event?
Bird sanctuary bisected for Peacocks Rd development.
Could there be a clearer example of city hall’s indifference to the little guy, or the environment, than the enforced acquisition and destruction of Murray and Margaret Shaw’s labour-of-love project? The callousness of Andrew King and Richard Briggs, in dismissing the Shaws’ protests, was breathtakingly arrogant.
The HCC’s failure to declare a climate change emergency.
Perhaps such things are only symbolic, but back in August, when faced by the idealism of youth and the issue of the age, our fearless leaders chose to debate semantics, took a vote and found themselves on the wrong side of history. Further reports were requested. Really?
The death of Max Christoffersen. The Waikato Times opinion columnist died in March, a handful of hours before his last column ran. A strong, clear and always provocative voice was stilled far too early.
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Kane Williamson’s batting at Seddon Park.
New Zealand’s greatest test batsman bookended the cricketing year with a pair of undefeated innings: 200 against Bangladesh in March and 104 against England in December. If the Seddon Park pitch didn’t always deliver engrossing contests, there was always Williamson to marvel at.
Hamilton on the big screen: Daffodils (the musical!)
Okay, it was only partially shot in the city and some of the recreations of our past architecture betrayed more ambition than achievement, but what a thrill to see to see a local story writ large, with our Grammy winner Kimbra in a central part. Some found Daffodils too downbeat for a musical; I applaud its innovation. Only complaint: why no Hamilton songs on the soundtrack?
An ever-so-slight improvement in voter turnout and a new council. Thirty eight point seven eight per cent of Hamiltonians voted in October’s local body elections, the highest since 2004. Either get excited by this or question what happened to the other 61 per cent of us. Still, Paula Southgate looks and sounds like a mayor, which is not something you could have said about her predecessor. There was a discernible swing from left to right and female candidates bested some stale old males. One negative: Louise Hutt, voice of youth, being pipped at the post.
The New York Times discovers Hamilton.
Whatever your views on Taitimu Maipi’s 2018 attack on the Captain Hamilton statue, it had consequences. When the most prestigious newspaper in North America dispatched a journalist to investigate, local debates suddenly went international. The Waikato Times’ part in changing the secondary school history curriculum enjoyed some publicity.
The post-Christchurch vigil.
The national tragedy in March saw a measured, thoughtful and sensitive response from Hamilton, not least its politicians. King’s decision to spend long hours at the Hamilton mosque, in the wake of the Christchurch shootings, was the finest achievement of his mayoralty. His simple but heartfelt address at the Claudelands vigil made a strength of his oratorical limitations.
Climate change protests: youth on the march.
Greta Thunberg had her local equivalents, in May and beyond, when hundreds of school children gathered at Civic Square to vent about the forthcoming environmental catastrophe. If they were no more in a mood to hear the platitudes and excuses of their elders than Greta, one wonders if this youthful fervour will extend much beyond puberty. If they manage to address the unaddressable – overpopulation – they’ll have my attention.
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