Justice minister of New Zealand resigns following 'embarrassing' drink and drive crash

The Justice Minister of New Zealand, Kiri Allan, tendered her resignation on Monday in the wake of an incident involving an ‘embarrassing’ car crash and subsequent charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest while being in a ‘drunken’ state. The accident occurred in Wellington, shortly after 9 pm on Sunday, and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed that Allan was taken into custody at the central police station. After spending four hours in detention, she was released. The police have filed charges against her for careless use of a motor vehicle and refusing to comply with a police officer’s instructions. Additionally, Allan has been summoned to appear in court at a later date. She was also issued an infringement notice for having an excess breath alcohol level between 250 and 400mcg. This unfortunate incident marks the latest in a series of mishaps and scandals involving government ministers in New Zealand, just three months before the national elections. Recent polls indicate that the conservative opposition has drawn level or slightly surpassed the incumbent liberals, making it a closely contested race. Once regarded as a rising star within the Labour party, Allan had recently taken a break from her duties to address her mental health issues, which were exacerbated by a public split with her partner and allegations of strained working relationships with staff. According to Hipkins, he spoke with Allan on Monday morning and expressed his belief that she was not in a suitable state to continue as a minister. It was deemed unacceptable for a justice minister to be facing criminal charges, and Allan concurred with this assessment, leading to her resignation from ministerial roles. Despite stepping down from the ministerial post, Allan will continue to serve as a member of parliament. In response to the incident, Hipkins acknowledged the inexcusability of her alleged actions but also cited information suggesting that Allan was undergoing extreme emotional distress at the time. He noted that her recent struggles with mental health had been well-documented and appeared to have culminated in the events of the previous day. Allan expressed remorse for her actions and stated that she would take some time to consider her future in politics. She admitted that in recent weeks, she had been grappling with personal difficulties and believed she could handle them while fulfilling her duties as a minister. Her actions, however, on Sunday proved otherwise, and she acknowledged that she had let herself and her colleagues down. In recent months, other government ministers have also faced controversies leading to resignations. Transport and immigration minister Michael Wood stepped down after failing to disclose a potential conflict of interest with his stock ownership. Police minister Stuart Nash was sacked in March for providing confidential information to donors, and in May, customs minister Meka Whaitiri was fired after changing her political allegiance. (With inputs from agencies)