Kiri Allan should not stand at election, needs break, Willie Jackson says: ‘She’s sick and needs support’

Senior Cabinet Minister and Labour Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said he does not think Kiri Allan should stand at the forthcoming election, saying she was not in a good place.

He added that Allan’s deterioration might not have occurred had he been in Wellington on Sunday night.

“She wasn’t good, she wasn’t good bro. If I’d been in Wellington it might not have happened. She rang me about six o’clock, four hours before it all went wrong,” Jackson said.

Jackson said he did not send anyone to be with Allan after their conversation, “because you can have a good korero with her - start off in a crazy sort of mode and then end up falling over and laughing, you know, which is where we were at on Sunday.

“Then of course it all fell apart,” Jackson said.

Heading into Labour’s weekly caucus meeting, Jackson said Allan should not stand at the election, although it was ultimately Allan’s call.

“I don’t think she should stand at all. I think she needs to have a time out and come back another day,” Jackson said.

“She needs to get out of here and get away from politics when you stay away from politics,” he said.

Allan resigned all her portfolios on Monday after being arrested by police overnight on Sunday.

She was charged with careless use of a motor vehicle and refusing to accompany a police officer, following a car crash in Wellington on Sunday night.

She was also issued an infringement notice for having excess breath alcohol between 250 and 400mcg.

Allan had openly struggled with mental health this year. She took mental health leave and returned from that leave only last week.

Jackson said that both he and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins were unsure about Allan returning to work, but Allan was adamant she could return.

Kiri Allan returned to work last week. Photo /Mark Mitchell

“The Prime Minister and them, they really didn’t want her to come back. They were really worried, but my view was well, she seemed to be 100 per cent on form,” Jackson said.

“We were all not so sure about her coming back to work, but she was adamant, she wanted to come back - she was very clear,” he said.

“There was respect for her in terms of coming back. You know, we all had our doubts but in the end she made it clear she wanted to come back,” he said.

Jackson said Allan performed brilliantly in her week back.

“She came back, she performed, she was fantastic. We had a lot of laughs and then she went down again,” Jackson said.

“She’s passionate, she’s, she’s a beautiful person Kiri but she’s just, she’s sick and she needs that support,” he said.

Hipkins said on Tuesday Allan would not serve as a minister again.

“I think given everything that has happened and particularly the offending over the weekend was serious and should be taken seriously,” Hipkins said.

Hipkins said MPs grappling with mental health got second chances, but that the circumstances of Allan’s situation made a return untenable.

“There’s other issues involved including potential criminal offending,” Hipkins said.

Former National leader Todd Muller who has been open about the toll mental health can take on politicians said the question of a second chance was one for Labour.

“But certainly in my life - actually beyond just the mental health challenges - I’ve had a number of second chances in my life and, I suspect you all have too.

“What people look for I think is integrity, that you are open about what you’ve done and not done and how you seek to improve yourself day by day,” he said.

Muller said he got on well with Allan personally.

“I have a lot of time for Kiri personally. Whether this is a path for her in the future that’s up to her,” Muller said.

“I just hope she’s surrounded by love and can heal because this takes time,” Muller said.