New AIDS Foundation chair Clive Aspin has denied rumours that he is standing as a candidate for the Maori Party, or any other political party, at this year's general election. The rumours had surfaced during discussions on GayNZ.com's message board forum about an NZAF board proposal to impose a 50% quota for Maori board members, the announcement of which coincided with Aspin's appointment as chair. Speaking from Indonesia, where he is currently attending a conference, Aspin expressed frustration at the discussion of the rumours on the message forum. "I'm not standing for any party, and I've never said I'm standing for any party, and I don't know where you're getting that from," he said. "I don't even see why this is newsworthy. You might as well say that I'm not standing for the Labour Party, or the National Party." When told that connections were being made by users of GayNZ.com's message board forum between the board's proposals and Maori Party ideology, Aspin replied: "That's your observation." As he has been out of the country almost exclusively since his appointment as chair, Aspin refered further enquiries about the board's proposals to deputy chair Simon Robb, saying he had been "out of the loop" and wasn't completely informed on the latest developments. The board will engage with AIDS Foundation members next month in a series of regional hui across the country, but Aspin won't be in attendance as he will still be overseas. However, he says he will be back in time for a special general meeting in Auckland with the board and stakeholders scheduled for August.