AA welcomes ex-mayor Meng Foon as its first Gisborne driving instructor

Former Gisborne mayor Meng Foon (Fon) has become the first AA driving instructor in the region. Photo / AA

Meng Foon has begun providing driving lessons for learner drivers or anyone who wants to brush up on their road skills this week.

The former Gisborne mayor said his motivation to become the region’s first AA driving instructor was to connect with young people.

“They have a different energy. They have got the new ideas and aspirations of what their lives are going to be,” he said.

“I’ve learnt from my driving experiences so I want to share the good parts and the safe parts with our young people.”

He said he used to be a mentor driver with the police while he was mayor.

“I really enjoyed that, so [my motivation is also] giving back to the community and ensuring that they’ll learn from my experiences.”

Foon, who also served as New Zealand’s Race Relations Commissioner for four years, is fluent in English, te reo Māori, Mandarin and Cantonese.

He is eager to instruct kura kaupapa students in te reo and can instruct in whichever language his students preferred.

“A lot of our young people are coming through kura kaupapa and te reo Māori has been their only language, so [this could be] a great support for them to continue in their driving tests,” he said.

He offers lessons in automatic vehicles and can teach manual if a student provides the car.

He plans to run lessons as often as possible, including weekends and holidays.

AA chief mobility officer Jonathan Sergel said in a statement he looked forward to the AA Driving School expanding its services into the Gisborne region.

“Meng will be our first driving instructor we’ve had in Gisborne and we’re looking forward to seeing our network grow so more Kiwis have access to the high-quality driving tutelage the AA is known for.

“Not only is Meng a proficient and versatile instructor, he has his community’s best interests at heart. Professional training means more competent and safer drivers, which leads to fewer injuries and deaths on our roads.”

The AA Driving School has more than 90 driving instructors across New Zealand, delivering more than 100,000 lessons per year.

Legal name ‘Fon’ instead of ‘Foon’

Meng Foon’s name on his driver’s license is ‘Meng Fon’.

The single o spelling is his birth name, but the spelling with two o’s that most people recognise came about during his school years.

“I think when we went to school they added another ‘o’ to it and it has been like that from primary school to now,” Fon said.

“I still use Foon because otherwise who would know, but otherwise, the passport and birth certificate name is Fon.”