PM: Kiri Allan's actions 'inexcusable' after car crash and failed breath test
Monday, 24 July 2023
Kiri Allan has resigned as a minister, after being taken into police custody on Sunday night.
The former minister is also dealing with ongoing mental illness, an issue she’s spoken publicly about. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said she was “not in a good space” and was found “in a very distressed state” after the crash on Sunday night.
Police charged the now former justice minister with careless use of a motor vehicle and refusing to accompany a police officer. She also blew over the legal limit for breath alcohol and was given an infringement notice.
Allan resigned as a minister in the early hours of Monday. She was released from police custody at 1am, after being involved in a car crash about 9pm on Sunday.
Hipkins described Allan’s behaviour as “inexcusable” and said she agreed her position as a minister was “untenable”.
Allan recently took mental health leave, but had returned to full duties after the Matariki holiday. Hipkins defended their decision to get back into work, saying Allan had been “resistant” to taking time off. He said she’d been in counselling and when she returned, she seemed “at the top of her game”.
On Wednesday, she stood by Hipkins with a policy announcement to crack down on ram raiders and had been busy in Parliament through the week.
But by Sunday, Hipkins said he had trusted people meet Allan at the Wellington Central Police Station. She was not well, and on Monday morning he said he remained concerned about her wellbeing.
“She was experiencing extreme emotional distress at the time of the incident,” he said.
The crash happened along Evans Bay Parade in the Wellington suburb of Roseneath. The Post received news of the crash shortly after 9pm, with witnesses saying Allan had struck a parked car.
A Stuff reporter at the scene said police were present, but there was no sign of Allan.
Allan said she was returning home to the East Coast on Monday morning, and was considering her future in politics. She had resigned all her ministerial roles, saying: “I accept that my position as a minister is untenable.”
She was a Cabinet minister, with responsibility for justice and regional development as well as being associate transport and finance minister.
“Over recent weeks I’ve faced a number of personal difficulties. I took time off to address those, and believed I was okay to juggle those challenges with the pressure of being a minister,” she said, in a statement.
“My actions yesterday show I wasn’t okay, and I’ve let myself and my colleagues down.”
Police last night said Evans Bay Parade was blocked for a short time after 9pm, due to a crash in which no one was injured.
On Monday, police confirmed the charges and said Allan had been summonsed to appear in court at a later date. An infringement notice was also issued for excess breath alcohol between 250 and 400mcg.
Politicians respond
Education Minister Jan Tinetti heard the news about Kiri Allan at Wellington Airport on Monday morning.
“That shows what mental health can be. That's not Kiri,” she said, when asked what she thought when she heard Allan had been arrested.
“Absolutely devastating, I am so worried about my friend.”
Green co-leader and Climate Minister James Shaw said it was the 'right call' for Allan to resign.
“Frankly, it's heartbreaking. Obviously Kiri has been through an incredibly tough time recently,' he said, during an interview on Morning Report.
'She's a human being, like anybody else and has been going through a very very time tough but ultimately, you know, it is very serious and both she and the prime minister have made the right call.”
ACT leader David Seymour said he was sad for Allan, as she was 'a good sort' and it was clear she had been under immense stress.
“I'm really sad, politicians are human. I've known Kiri for years. To see this happen, there's clearly real problems here,” he said.
Concerns about Allan’s actions
On June 28,it was reported a staffer seconded to work with Allan chose to leave early because of concerns about “working relationships” in the office.
Department of Conservation chief executive Penny Nelson took her concerns to the Department of Internal Affairs, which manages Ministerial Services.
Stuff understands other senior public servants – including from Emergency Management, and the Ministry of Business, innovation and Employment – also voiced concerns about how staff were treated.
Allan “strongly refutes” those allegations.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Allan said: “Parliament has been described as a robust working environment, and we deliberately work to address any issues or concerns early.”
A statement from the prime minister’s office said at time there had been no formal complaints made by departmental or ministerial staff about Allan.
“Some issues have been raised about how to improve working relations in the Minister’s office. Work was done to improve the situation and no further issues were raised,” it said.
On June 28, Allan made an Instagram post that was immediately deleted, admitting challenging times with her mental health and rejecting the allegations about her.