Meng Foon's AA profile. Photo: Supplied
The former race relations commissioner has found a new role as a Gisborne-based AA driving instructor.
Meng Foon, who is also the region's former mayor, said there were plenty of transferable skills between the two roles.
The goal was to connect with young people, "to keep me young".
Foon spent time as a driving mentor with the police during his tenure at mayor, which he had found very fulfilling.
"I know that there are long waiting times [for tests], so hopefully we can all work it out together."
Along with young people, plenty of older adults, aged 40 to 50, were going for their licence, too.
"Having a licence is very enabling for families."
People might have faced barriers like shame for being older and without a licence, or fear of the law which had prevented them from sitting their test, he said.
Foon was race relations commissioner between 2019 and 2023, and Gisborne's mayor for 18 years before that.
"There's lots of skill overlaps, but the main one is relationships and communication - and I've been pretty good at that, I think."
His name is listed on the AA site as Meng Fon.
"That is my birth certificate name. When we went to school the teacher added another 'o' to our name and have been known as Foon all our lives."
According to his profile, he drives an automatic 2024 Suzuki Vitara hybrid, "being conscious of climate change".
He said his multi-lingual abilities would also come in handy.
"You can actually do [the] road code in about 10 official languages."
For people who had spent most of their lives speaking te reo, "I'm there for them, being fluent in te reo o te Tai Rāwhiti".
Is he expecting the job to be as stressful as one would imagine his past roles have been? "Oh, never stressful at all. I'm a calm, cool, collected person, and very little phases me.
"But I'm looking forward to the journeys."
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