Wed 16 Mar 2016 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Executive Director of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, Shaun Robinson has resigned to take up a new position as the CEO of the Mental Health Foundation. Holding the position of Executive Director for the past five years, Robinson says as someone who has experienced periods of depression and anxiety, he is very committed to mental health. “This has been a very hard decision to make,” he says. “I remain very engaged with the work of NZAF and am excited by our updated strategy of ending HIV transmissions through condoms, PrEP, increased testing and early treatment. I sincerely think this will create a movement to end HIV transmissions that everyone can be part of. However, I am also very committed to mental health; having experienced some periods of depression and anxiety in my own life and seen such issues touch many other lives. Building communities’ and individuals’ ability to stay mentally healthy and strong is something that I am excited about. ” David Friar, Chair of the NZAF Board says that Robinson "has done an excellent job over the last five years, and New Zealand continues to have one of the lowest HIV infection rates in the world. “In addition, there have been significant and fast-changing scientific developments over the past few years, including PreP, the importance of increased testing, and the prevention benefits of early treatment. Shaun has worked closely with the board over the past 12 months to update the NZAF’s strategy to use all of these new developments to stop the spread of HIV. “We have an excellent team at NZAF who are committed to stopping the spread of HIV, and while we are sorry to see Shaun go, the good work of the NZAF team will continue.” Robinson says that being invited to be part of the communities affected by HIV has been a real privilege for him. “Gay, Pos, African, Trans, Takataapui; I do not belong to these communities by identity but my experience has been that I have been welcomed and accepted. “I sincerely thank people for their generosity. I have made many friends and I do not intend to be a stranger. “ The NZAF Board has begun recruitment process to fill the role of Executive Director, advertising both internally and externally and Robinson will finish with the organisation in June.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 16th March 2016 - 3:24pm