National candidate Katrina Bungard 'bullied' over disabled car park use

Katrina Bungard regularly gets complaints about her car using disabled parks - even though she has a permit. Photo / Supplied

A National Party candidate says she's had enough of being bullied for using disabled car parks - from people who don't realise she is entitled to park there.

Critics have even taken to dobbing in Katrina Bungard to National Party leader Bill English when they see her sign-written car bearing her name and photo parked in disabled parks.

Bungard, who lost a leg to cancer at age 11, holds a disabled parking permit and is entitled to use the parks.

The National candidate for Manurewa says she's been regularly reprimanded since her car was sign written with her face and National Party logo in May this year. But she has a clearly visible disability permit displayed in her windscreen as she is an amputee.

"I feel a bit bullied," she said.

The Howick Local Board member had her left leg amputated above the knee when she was 11 because of bone cancer, and uses an artificial limb.

National candidate Katrina Bungard lost her leg to bone cancer when she was 11. Photo / Facebook

She said she's had about four emails - some also copied to Bill English to try to get her in trouble - and one person approach her to tell her off.

"It's really quite strange. My permit is displayed clearly.

"People don't actually check they just jump to a conclusion and assume because I'm a politician I don't have a disability."

A reader also sent a photo to the Herald as a complaint.

Bungard's prosthetic leg isn't obvious under clothes but she does have a limp and has difficulty walking, especially if she has been sitting down for long periods of time, such as at a council meeting. Because of this she regularly uses disability car parks for ease and security at night time, as she can't run should she get into trouble.

She hoped people would be a bit more open-minded about what people with a disability could look like.

"It's really important disabled people are represented in caucus. We don't have enough."

Bungard told the Herald last year overcoming a devastating disease at such a young age gave her the drive to represent others who are disadvantaged.

"It changes you, you don't look at things like a carefree teenager who is just going with the flow. You think 'what am I here for and what am I going to do with my life'.

"It certainly made me more determined to do the things I wanted to.

"I think that it's fair to say when any major health incident happens in someone's life you become acutely aware of the public health system and the issues around it."

A dearth of disabled candidates running for local body positions meant their concerns weren't being effectively handled, according to Bungard.

"We need to make sure we're engaging with the disabled community because isolation is a huge issue, which can lead to all sorts of other issues, including depression, family violence and other anti-social behaviour."