Shaun Robinson (l) with NZAF staffers Elton Raharaha and Simon Harger-Forde The new Executive Director of the NZ AIDS Foundation this morning stressed his commitment to the Foundation's goal of a world without HIV and AIDS and what he termed "the promise of a fresh new day, a new dawn." Shaun Robinson, a straight man whose appointment to head an organisation focused on the sexual culture of men who have sex with men caused controversy when it was announced prior to Christmas, also acknowledged the discomfort in some circles. "I feel welcomed as a straight man and I acknowledge the concerns, I embrace that and I expect to be judged on my performance," he told the approximately sixty people, many of whom were gay, who attended the powhiri. "I do believe we can achieve a world without HIV and AIDS," he went on to say, "and we must work together and harness all our energy and talents and resources." Robinson acknowledged the past achievements of the NZAF. "I have very big shoes to fill... the NZAF has achieved much," he noted. He described his appointment as a signal of "a new phase drawing on the past." A number of speakers briefly welcomed him, including the NZAF Chair Alastair Cameron who described the departure of previous Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier and the arrival of Robinson as "both an end and a beginning." He said the interview process culminating in Robinson's appointment was "robust and rigorous" with candidates of a high calibre "of whom Shaun was the stand-out candidate." "Today Shaun starts working with all of us to stop the transmission of HIV, to ensure that our friends and families don't keep falling victim to HIV," Cameron said. In response Outline General Manager Vaughan Meneses told Robinson and the gathering that Outline would continue working closely with the NZAF but reserved the right to voice concern when necessary. Michael Bancroft of the Quilt Project cautioned the new NZAF chief to "keep one eye occasionally on the past but to remain firmly focused on the future." Wayne Otter, manager of the NZAF's Burnett Centre, congratulated all the speakers for acknowledging men who have sex with men. "Takataapui can be lost so it was good to hear us acknowledged today," he said. In a similar vein, Body Positive General Manager Bruce Kilmister drew Robinson's attention to the way in which "people living with HIV can be overlooked." The mother of a young gay Maori man acknowledged the part the NZAF played in the way she and her husband, from the Te Unga Waka marae which conducted the powhiri, were eventually able to accept a family member's homosexuality. And a spokesperson for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations stressed their good working relationship with the NZAF and his hope that when AFAO's new chief is chosen the two new chief executives would continue to foster that closeness. You can discuss this New Zealand gay community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 24th January 2011 - 12:03pm