A Year In The Life Of Meng - On Whakaata Māori

Lockdowns, a broken leg, periodontitis and a 41st wedding anniversary make for an interesting year of ups, downs and personal transformation for one of New Zealand’s more recognisable immigrant sons.

MENG, a one hour documentary made by UHZ and funded by NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho, follows the former Gisborne mayor and current Race Relations Commissioner, Meng Foon for a year between 2021-22.

MENG screens on Monday 12 Mahuru/September at 8.30 PM on Whakaata Māori and Māori+.

Co-director/co-producer Steven Chow says he is fascinated by Meng’s ability to navigate in multiple worlds, and his passion for promoting the rights of tangata whenua.

“Sometimes you don’t get to see the other side of Meng – his personal life and ‘what makes him tick’, so I hope audiences come away with a better understanding of who Meng is,” says Steven Chow.

Julie Zhu (co-director/co-producer) called Meng Foon ‘probably the most visible example of someone who is non-Māori who has grown up immersed in te ao Māori and te reo Māori.’

“I was drawn to this documentary as someone who is also Chinese, and who has been lucky enough to learn te reo Māori, and wanted to explore how Meng's connections to te ao Māori translated to other aspects of his life” says Julie.

“It is rare to find older tauiwi/non-Māori who are vocal about being tangata Tiriti, who champion the rights of tangata whenua.

“We hope this documentary helps to normalise the role of tauiwi in being loud advocates for tino rangatiratanga and kaupapa Māori, and encourage more non-Māori to follow Meng's lead in this.”

The documentary makers also get a look into his personal life, how he behaves as a husband to wife Ying, a father to son Nathan, and a Gong Gong to his mokopuna, who are overseas.

© Scoop Media