Alastair Cameron Alastair Cameron has been the Chair of the New Zealand Aids Foundation Trust Board since February. The Wellington lawyer first became a trustee in November 2008, a position he'd thought about seeking for a long time. Cameron says the board was looking for someone with legal expertise and the timing was right. "The organisation was one that since I came out, I have been involved with or on the fringes of. And it's an organisation I have enormous respect and admiration for. I think it has made a difference to the gay community of New Zealand and the lives of HIV positive people – and continues to do so." Cameron says the NZAF has always had a dual mission; to prevent the transmission of HIV and to assist HIV-positive people to maximise their health and wellbeing. "I think we're committed to that dual purpose. And the key on the prevention side is that we need to see the current infections rates not just stabilise but reducing.," he says. "And on the positive health side it's about making sure that the services that are provided remain relevant and responsive and the services that HIV-positive people need in order to maximise their wellbeing." Cameron also believes being engaged and involved with community is very important. On the question of how he believes the NZAF is perceived by the 'gay community', he points out there is an incredible range of diverse views among those who identify as glbt. "I think some people see the foundation really positively and other people think it's a bit distant and not doing what it needs to be doing. But I think that's a healthy tension. You know, I think the day that nobody is commenting on the foundation, good or bad, is the day that I suspect it has become irrelevant," he says. "So the fact that people are focused on it and talking about it means that it still has a place, and it has role to play – so I welcome all that comment." Cameron is a senior associate at Buddle Finlay in Wellington, where he is both a public and commercial lawyer with a specialty in climate change. He spent three years as an adviser to Marion Hobbs when she was Environment Minister. He is also a Fulbright Scholar, spending an academic year studying a Master of Laws at New York University from 2005 to 2006. He says it was an amazing experience, academically, culturally and socially. "New York is an incredible city. Being able to live there for a year, as a student and not working ... it meant I could enjoy the city and spend a lot of time travelling." Cameron then went on to London to do an internship. He says the only downside if the international experience was being away from his partner, Hamish Moorhead, for 18 months. Despite the distance, the pair successfully continued their relationship and have now been together for eight and half years and are planning their civil union. The couple will tie the knot in February at Cameron's late grandfather's house. They have had a long engagement, after making the decision to have a civil union six years ago. Cameron says the ceremony will be about making a declaration of commitment in front of everyone they know and love. "And we talk quite a lot about whether it makes a difference – and I think it does. I think it makes a difference to have that public declaration. Not necessarily on a day-to-day level, about how you feel about each other or how you interact, but it feels like a really significant commitment." Jacqui Stanford - 17th June 2010