Taupō District Councillor Anna Park has resigned effective immediately after pleading guilty to a drink driving charge for the fourth time.
Park appeared in the Auckland District Court last Friday where she admitted to driving with excess breath alcohol for a third or subsequent time. The 50-year-old councillor was stopped at a police checkpoint at 8am on November 9 last year on Wairakei Drive in Taupō, recording a breath alcohol reading of 804 micrograms per litre - more than double the legal limit of 400mg/l.
"My decision could have endangered others and, even though I was alone in the car, the risk I took was unacceptable," Park said in a statement to Lake FM.
"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," she stated.
Taupō District Council confirmed today they have officially received Park's resignation.
"It is no longer tenable under the Local Government Act for me to continue as a councillor," Park told RNZ. "I have therefore tendered my resignation effective immediately."
According to RNZ, Park has lost her roles as chairperson of the Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group and as a Crown Appointee to the Taupō-nui-a-Tia Management Board.
Park was first elected to the Taupō District Council in 2010 and is one of the council's longest serving representatives, having served nearly 15 years as an elected member. She was the first sitting councillor to have a child while in office, and has looked after the youth, sports and recreation portfolios as part of her duties.
Taupō Mayor David Trewavas acknowledged Park's resignation and thanked her for her work of over 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."
With local government elections less than 12 months away, no by-election will be triggered. Instead, Taupō District Council Chief Executive Julie Gardyne has informed council and a paper will go to the next council meeting outlining the options, which are the appointment of an interim councillor or to have the position remain vacant until local elections in October.
A Local Government New Zealand spokesperson told RNZ that convictions carrying such penalties are "extremely serious" and result in immediate loss of position and remuneration.
"I am deeply sorry for the disappointment and hurt my actions have caused to my family, friends, colleagues, and the wider community," Park said. "I am committed to learning from this mistake and earning back the trust I have lost."
