Preceded by John Clarke | Name Meng Foon | |
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Nationality New Zealand citizen of Chinese descent | ||
My place meng foon
Meng Liu Foon is the current mayor of Gisborne, New Zealand. 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.
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Mayor Foon won a fifth term as Gisborne's mayor in 2013. He is the first person to serve five consecutive terms since Harry Barker retired in 1977. However, in 2016, Meng won his sixth consecutive term as Mayor of the Gisborne District, beating out three other Mayoral candidates. Meng Foon's mayoralty extends across New Zealand's eastern most province with the largest proportion of native Maori population (according to the New Zealand census of 2005).
Meng Foon has several interests outside of his mayoralty. 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, Meng 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."
Tu mai composed by mayor meng foon gisborne nz
