New Zealand’s Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan has resigned from his portfolio after a drunken car crash following allegations of careless driving and refusing to yield to a police officer.
The incident is prompting the 39-year-old Labor MP to rethink his political career, which comes after a spell of publicly documented poor mental health.
On Sunday night, Ms Allan was held in police custody for around two hours following a car crash in the Wellington suburb of Rosenath.
Radio NZ reported he crashed into a parked car.
An embarrassed Prime Minister Chris Hipkins appeared in front of the media on Monday morning, saying Ms Allan was ‘obviously not in a good place’ after accepting her resignation.
‘Everyone is still processing it, including me,’ he said.
New Zealand Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan has resigned from his portfolio after being accused of careless driving and refusing to accompany a police officer following a drunken car crash.
‘I feel sorry for Kirie who is an incredibly talented person, who is clearly battling some demons.’
In a statement, Ms Allan said she would resign with immediate effect.
‘I am going home and taking time to consider my future in politics,’ he said.
‘I accept that my position as a minister is unqualified.
‘I deeply regret my actions, the harm they may have caused and the embarrassment it has caused to the government and my colleagues.’
The scandal is the latest in a long line of problems for Mr Hipkins, and will in all likelihood end the political career of Ms Allan, once Labour’s rising star.
Promoted to cabinet following the party’s 2020 landslide victory, Ms Allan took a leave of absence in 2021 after being diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer.
He declared himself cancer-free and returned to ministry later that year.
In recent months, he was reprimanded for criticizing Radio NZ bosses at an informal event and accused of bullying civil servants in his office.
An embarrassed Prime Minister Chris Hipkins appeared in front of the media on Monday morning, saying Ms Allan was ‘clearly not in a good place’ after accepting her resignation.
While Ms. Allan apologized and spoke of her mental health difficulties during the personal breakdown, Mr. Hipkins gave her time off and urged her to seek counseling.
The car accident came a fortnight after that apology
‘In recent weeks I have been dealing with a number of personal problems. I took time to deal with them, and believed that I could handle those challenges under the pressure of being a minister,’ he said.
‘My actions yesterday showed I was not right, and I let myself and my colleagues down.’
Mr Hipkins said Ms Allan’s actions were ‘inexcusable’ but occurred because ‘she suffered extreme emotional distress’.
‘Last night’s events prove that there are not always quick fixes when it comes to mental health,’ he said.
Ms Allan’s resignation means Labour’s previous 20-strong cabinet is down to 18 members.
Transport Minister Michael Wood resigned last month after failing to declare shareholdings related to his ministry, despite a dozen requests from the Cabinet Office.
The scandal is the latest in a long line of problems for Mr Hipkins, and will in all likelihood end the political career of Ms Allan, once Labour’s rising star.
In a scandal-plagued year, Labor also lost Customs Minister Meka Waitiri after moving to the Maori Party and Police Minister Stuart Nash, for revealing cabinet discussions to donors.
Labor has now lost nine ministers from the party that started the year, including Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern.
Mr Hipkins, who succeeded Dame Jacinda in January, faces an uphill battle to convince voters Labor deserves a third term in the October 14 election.
The prime minister will announce a new ministerial reshuffle later on Monday, but has not confirmed any new additions to the cabinet.
“Five weeks to the election… I don’t think now is the time to bring in new people,” he said.
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