Internationally renowned children's author Margaret Mahy has been caught drink driving after she hit a parked vehicle.
The 72-year-old was more than twice the legal alcohol limit when tested after the crash in Cashmere in April. The crash happened at 9.40am, the Christchurch Star reported today.
She appearedin the district court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving with excess blood alcohol.
Mahy recorded 170mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in her system.
The legal limit is 80mg.
Mahy would not talk to The Star about the incident.
However her publisher HarperCollins issued a statement yesterday on Mahy's behalf.
"We were advised of the matter, as well as the circumstances in which it took place. While we cannot condone what she did, she has our unconditional support as a wonderful author whose work continues to bring magic and wonder into the lives of millions of children, as it has for over 40 years," it said.
On Wednesday the court heard that Mahy was driving on Hackthorne Rd on Sunday, April 20, when her car left the road and hit a parked vehicle.
The vehicle, and another parked in front of it were damaged.
Judge Raoul Neave fined Mahy $600, ordered her to pay $130 court costs and disqualified her from driving for six months.
She has already paid reparation to the owners of the damaged vehicles.
Mahy, who lives in Governors Bay, has written more than 30 books for young people since the 1970s.
She has received a number of awards for her books, including the Sir Julius Vogel Award for services to New Zealand science fiction and the Hans Christian Andersen Award - the highest international recognition given to a children's author.
She is also a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit and has an honorary doctorate at Canterbury University.
HarperCollins said Mahy had its "complete confidence".
"Margaret has taken immediate, practical steps to ensure that this never happens again and we fully support her responsible approach.
"Her life's work has been dedicated to children's literature and her contribution in this area is immeasurable. We would ask that she be judged on that, rather than on this most regrettable lapse in judgment."
