It was an abrupt end to the political career of a rising star: Kiri Allan – New Zealand’s justice minister and tipped by many to one day lead the country – first quit as a minister then said she would not seek re-election, after she was charged with careless driving following a car crash and amid weeks of news reports about her mental health.
Her sudden departure has prompted questions in New Zealand about the toll of working at parliament on politicians’ wellbeing. It also provoked fraught and uncertain debate about how to discuss the mental health struggles of public figures – particularly those of a senior cabinet minister, three months before a national election.
