Sad end to time as Race Relations Commissioner

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Former Gisborne mayor Meng Foon believes he has been hard done by in the situation that forced his dramatic fall from the position of Race Relations Commissioner on Friday.

He has told The Gisborne Herald the payments that led to his withdrawal were made to the Tatapouri Bay campground to provide housing for homeless people — and that he had declared this interest.

The position of the minister responsible, Associate Minister of Justice Deborah Russell, is that his conflict declarations were inadequate.

Those who watched Foon during his long Gisborne District Council career would know that he was sometimes inclined to be loose on details.

In an email to The Herald yesterday he said he was “bloody careful” in his public roles, as the scrutiny there was at the next level.

He thinks he should have been treated similarly to MPs who did not declare conflicts yet retained their place in Parliament, and wants justice and human rights “for people like me”.

Foon believes Russell has over-reacted and yesterday was saying that he had not formally resigned . . . until he received a letter from Russell  accepting his note to the Prime Minister last Friday as his resignation.

Pointing out there were 584 people needing emergency housing in Tairāwhiti, Foon said he and his family had always tried to help our communities and whānau.

His statement casts a different light on the situation, which had been painted as a straight out failure on his part to declare a conflict of interest.

It does not change the fact his time as Race Relations Commissioner is over, though, bringing a sad end to a role which he seemed to be born for.

A fluent speaker of te reo since his youth, Foon never held back as commissioner and even criticised government departments, such as the police, when he felt it was necessary.

He may in part be a victim of timing, with this situation hot on the heels of ministers who have overstepped the mark. Stuart Nash was forced to resign, Transport Minister Michael Wood was stood down for retaining shares in Auckland Airport, and Education Minister Jan Tinetti appeared before Parliament’s privileges committee for delaying a correction of incorrect information given to Parliament.

All of these have no direct relevance to Foon’s situation but the Government must be contemplating a “Caesar’s Wife” policy, of being shown to be purer than pure in an election year.

Still only 64, Meng Foon is a vigorous man used to hard work from his childhood and he will probably be looking for something new to attract his attention and energies.

He still has business interests in Gisborne and could again play a big part in community life in Tairāwhiti.