A proposed 50% Maori quota for AIDS Foundation board members will not affect the organisation's overall mission, says executive director Rachael LeMesurier. The NZAF board is to consult publicly over their proposals to change the governance structure to ensure that four of the eight members are Maori at all times, in recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi. Maori make up just under 15% of New Zealand's total population. Middle-aged white males are the group currently most represented in HIV infection statistics, with Maori faring very low by comparison. There are concerns that a Maori quota for board members could lead to quotas in the allocation of HIV resources as well, but Rachael LeMesurier says these concerns are unfounded. "None of this makes a change to the overall mission of the Foundation. We have six goals in the strategic plan and those are not in any way affected by the change," she says. "The actual proposal is specifically about treaty and governance. It's not something that is about saying 50% of the AIDS Foundation resources have to go into Maori. It's a governance issue with regards to honouring the Maori version of the treaty." As executive director of the Foundation, LeMesurier says she's not micromanaged by the board in terms of driving the organisation, and that their work is dictated by the epidemiology of the virus. Any changes in the allocation of resources would require separate alterations to the strategic plan. "But I do think you'll find there is a very strong support at the board level for the Hau Ora Takataapui work and the work in our by Maori - for Maori programme, which many would be able to say, because of the statistics are so low proportionally, that they're very successful."