Anna Park has resigned from her role as a Taupō District Councillor after being caught drink driving. Photo: Supplied
A Taupō District Councillor who admitted driving drunk a fourth time has resigned her seat.
Anna Park appeared in the Auckland District Court last Friday and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol a third or subsequent time.
The charge is punishable by two years' imprisonment, a $6000 fine and disqualification from driving for one year.
Under the Local Government Act 2002 a councillor convicted of a crime punishable by two years' imprisonment or more must vacate office.
"It is no longer tenable under the Local Government Act for me to continue as a councillor," Park said in a statement to RNZ.
"I have therefore tendered my resignation effective immediately."
Park was convicted of drink driving three times previously with the last offence in 2006.
Park has also lost her roles as chairperson of the Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group which she has held since December 2022, and as a Crown Appointee to the Taupō-nui-a-Tia Management Board which she has been a member of since June 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Park was first elected to Taupō District Council in 2010 and said it was important to her to uphold its integrity and "avoid any further distraction from its important work".
"I accept this legal consequence following my regrettable lack of judgement last November."
According to the police summary of facts, the 50-year-old mother was stopped at a police alcohol checkpoint at 8am on 9 November in her Audi car on Wairakei Dr in Taupō.
She failed an initial breath test and an Evidential Breath Test showed a reading of 804 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The limit is 400mg/l for adults.
In explanation she told police: "I was just on my way to pick up a hedge trimmer. We had wine last night and vodka/sodas."
There were no passengers in the car.
In a statement last week through her lawyer, Park said she took full responsibility for "this serious lapse in judgement" and that she deeply regretted her actions.
"My decision could have endangered others and, even though I was alone in the car, the risk I took was unacceptable."
Park said she did not seek name suppression because she believed in being fully accountable.
Despite this, she was charged under the name of Anna Mary Pickering and had the case moved to Auckland from Taupō to try to protect her family from undue public attention.
"This does not diminish my accountability in any way - this mistake was mine alone, and I did not want those closest to me to suffer because of it.
"I am deeply sorry for the disappointment and hurt my actions have caused to my family, friends, colleagues and the wider community."
She asked that her family's privacy now be respected, including on social media.
"While public scrutiny comes with public service, it would be extremely unfair for my loved ones to have to endure the consequences of my actions."
When RNZ contacted Taupō mayor David Trewavas about the case on Wednesday he said it was a private matter and he would not be commenting.
When it was pointed out it was a public matter if a councillor was convicted of a crime punishable by two years in jail, he eventually replied saying the council was now in a process and would follow the law accordingly.
On Friday a spokesperson said as soon as the council was made aware of the situation the mayor and chief executive Julie Gardyne sought legal advice and identified the legislative process while trying to confirm the relevant information.
"This process has now been pre-empted by the resignation of Councillor Park."
The spokesperson said the council was awaiting formal confirmation that Park had been convicted over the offence, which Park herself did not confirm to RNZ when asked.
Meanwhile her resignation did not trigger a by-election because it was within 12 months of local government elections.
"Instead, our chief executive will inform council and a paper will go to the next council meeting outlining the options, which are the appointment of an interim councillor or to the have the position remain vacant until local elections in October," the spokesperson said.
The mayor acknowledged Park's resignation and thanked her for her work of more than four terms at council.
"Anna is a long-serving councillor and we acknowledge the significant contribution she has made to our community," he said.
"We wish her all the very best."
Park said it had been an honour to serve the "beautiful, energetic and resilient district" of Taupō and she was "incredibly proud" of the many legacy projects she had been part of.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to residents and ratepayers, colleagues and the wider community for their trust and support over the years.
"It has been a privilege to serve in a role I have dearly loved."
A Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) spokesperson said a conviction of an elected member that carried the higher penalty was extremely serious and the law was rigourously enforced.
"The former councillor loses their right to be part of the governing body, and their remuneration on the day of the conviction."
There was nothing in the Local Government Act that stated whether or not a councillor who had to vacate their seat because of such a conviction, could stand again at the next election or whether there was a stand down period.
Park did not answer questions about whether she would stand again.
In the case of Kāpiti councillor David Scott, who was convicted of indecent assault while in office, his attempt to regain a position on the council was legal but attracted sharp criticism from his former colleagues.
