‘EXTREME EMOTIONAL DISTRESS’

New Zealand Minister Resigns After Drunken Car Crash

Former Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan’s “recent personal struggles with mental health have been well documented,” according to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

New Zealand’s justice minister resigned after being charged with careless driving and resisting arrest in a Sunday night incident that saw her plough her vehicle into a parked car. Kiritapu Allan, 39, also returned a breath test over the legal limit “but at a level considered an infringement offense,” according to a statement made by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. “While her alleged actions are inexcusable,” he said, “I’ve been advised she was experiencing extreme emotional distress at the time of the incident.” The prime minister added that Allan’s “recent personal struggles with mental health have been well documented,” and that it appeared “some of those issues came to a head yesterday.” Hipkins said that he had accepted Allan’s resignation, and that she would be taking time “to consider her future in politics.” Once a rising star of the Labour Party, Allan’s career has been stymied by a number of controversies, including allegations of bullying in her office.