Dame Kerry Prendergast, Wellington Mayor from 2001-2010, now serves as the chair of the ambulance organisation.
She last week admittedto having her driver licence suspended for three months before Christmas after racking up 100 demerit points from five speeding infringements.
The admission has raised the eyebrows of paramedics, and prompted the head of the New Zealand Ambulance Association to call for disciplinary action or a resignation.
“It’s not a good look,” the union’s secretary Mark Quin told the Herald.
Quin said Wellington Free Ambulance has previously disciplined staff for their actions outside of the workplace, and noted the organisation’s code of conduct requires staff to follow the law and disclose pending or recent driving offences.
He believed if a paramedic had their licence suspended for speeding in their own time, Wellington Free Ambulance would take action under the code of conduct.
“You’re the chair of the Wellington Free Ambulance, you should be setting the standard,” said Quin, who is a paramedic himself.
“She’s had a hundred demerit points, so that’s a fair bit of speeding she’s done in two years to get up to the suspension.”
The admission came during an appearance on Newstalk ZB’s Wellington Mornings show when Prendergast was asked by host Nick Mills about a recent story that speeding fines were skyrocketing.
“I’m a bit heavy on the accelerator and I’m really sorry,” the three-term former mayor said.
Prendergast said she was too busy looking at the road to notice the screen in her tesla telling her to slow down. Photo / Catherine Hutton
Prendergast said she did not notice her demerit points accumulating, and was shocked to learn that her licence had been suspended.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
