Meng Foon took up the appointment of Race Relations Commissioner after 24 years at the Gisborne District Council. Mr Foon was elected as a councillor in 1995 and in 2001 he was elected Mayor, a role he held for 18 years. He is one of a handful of people of Chinese descent to have become a mayor in Aotearoa New Zealand. He is fluent in English, Cantonese and te reo Māori. In 2019, he was still the only mayor in Aotearoa New Zealand fluent in te reo. He is a member of several community organisations including the Ngā Taonga a Ngā Tama Toa Trust, the New Zealand Chinese Association and MY Gold Investments Ltd. He has been Chair of Gisborne/Tairāwhiti Rugby League since 2007 and is a member of the New Zealand Rugby League Board. Mr Foon is responsible for leading the work of the Human Rights Commission in promoting positive race relations.
Abstract : The pandemic has brought some darkness but we can all work to restore a unified and positive Aotearoa.
The Covid-19 pandemic has magnified and exacerbated a lot of society’s ills, with some people, particularly those working on the frontlines and in front-facing sectors bearing the brunt of a lot of the expressions of stress from the public.
The Human Rights Commission has found that Māori, migrant and ethnic communities have had the highest levels of this abuse.
It has been a dark time for many over the past year but there is a way of improving interpersonal relationships.
We must call out and expose incidents of mistreatment, discrimination or abuse. For it is only through such action will we talk, address and then eliminate such behaviour.
To counter this we can also boost and bring into the light some of the positive and up-lifting stories which come out of our most vulnerable communities.
A better Aotearoa requires work from us all.
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