The resignation of NZ AIDS Foundation's first Maori chair, Dr Clive Aspin, from the board is viewed as a positive move for the Foundation by two previous NZAF chairs who were amongst the strongest critics of Aspin's brief chairmanship. Both Michael Stevens and Jonathan Smith lent their voices to discontent when, immediately upon Aspin's election to the chair, the board announced a proposal for a 50% Maori quota for trust board members. Slightly less controversially, the board also announced the ringfencing of two of its eight positions for people with HIV. Membership, the Foundation's kaumatua, past chairs and, GayNZ.com understands, many Foundation staff all raised a chorus of objections to the quotas. Among concerns voiced was a lack of consultation with NZAF stakeholders in board decision-making. Days later Aspin was revealed to have used suspect information, and re-enginered quotes from GayNZ.com, to claim at an international AIDS conference that the NZAF - which he did not actually mention by name - was racially dysfunctional. Stevens and Smith are amongst those at a loss to explain why Aspin, who is experienced in community and health organisations, mismanaged the issues which brought about his downfall. "It is a shame that Dr Aspin put himself and the NZAF so uneccessarily in this position," says Aspin's predecessor Michael Stevens, "but I am glad that they have begun the process to rectify the situation. I trust the Board will now attempt to work alongside its stakeholders to resolve the remaining issues." Stevens' predecessor, Jonathan Smith, echoes those views. "Dr Aspin's resignation from the NZAF board of the doesn't come as any surprise considering the very serious comments he made whilst in the role as Chair of the Foundation," says Smith. "However what does surprise me is that Dr Aspin, a very cleaver and astute individual, would allow himself to make such an error of judgement in the first place." Aspin stepped down from the chairmanship of the board soon after the controversies became public two months ago, but had until last week remained on the board. He has regularly declined to comment to the media about the controversy.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 30th August 2005 - 12:00pm