Meng Foon


Meng Liu Foon is a New Zealand politician who served as the mayor of Gisborne from 2001 to 2019. Since August 2019, he has been New Zealand's race relations commissioner. He is one of a handful of people of Chinese descent to have become a mayor in New Zealand. He is fluent in English, Cantonese and Māori. At the time of his departure from the mayoral position he was still the only mayor in New Zealand who is fluent in Te Reo Maori.
Foon was first elected onto Gisborne council in 1995 and became mayor in 2001. He is the first person to serve five consecutive terms since Harry Barker retired in 1977. However, in 2016, Foon won his sixth consecutive term as mayor of the Gisborne District, beating out three other mayoral candidates. His mayoralty extends across New Zealand's eastern most province with the largest proportion of native Maori population.
Foon has several interests outside of politics. He has released a musical number, Tu Mai, which includes various native tracks, he has been chair of Gisborne/Tarawhiti Rugby League since 2007, and is a board member of the New Zealand Rugby League board.
Following confirmation of the Ngati Porou deal, arranged under the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004, Foon was quoted as saying that "he did not believe many people would be disadvantaged by reduced access to the beach, as 90 per cent of the East Coast population was Maori anyway." Foon announced in March 2019 that he would not stand again in the 2019 local elections.
On August 8, 2019, the Gisborne District Council voted unanimously to appoint Rehette Stoltz, the current deputy mayor of Gisborne, as mayor when Foon formally resigned on August 22, 2019.