Her struggle with mental health came after a turbulent time in both her personal and working life.
While she will not talk about the personal, she has outlined the work pressures both in her electorate after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle and in the Beehive as Labour ministers had to adjust to life after the resignation of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, something that obviously affected her.
She continues to deny allegations of a bad working environment or that she shouted at public servants, though acknowledges she was not perfect and did “drive hard and drive fast” to get her policy programme running.
Her decision to do an interview now was partly prompted by former Green MP Golriz Gahraman’s resignation from politics after being charged with shoplifting. She believes women, particularly Māori women, get targeted more than others.
It is six months now since that fateful night in Wellington which led to charges of drink driving and refusing to accompany a police officer which she still faces.
Allan turned 40 at the end of last year and has been clear of cervical cancer for two years. She is working on a book and now lives in Whakatāne with her daughter Hiwaiterangi. She has set up a consultancy business and does some work for her iwi.
While “absolutely not” was her first response to a question of whether she would return to politics, she did add that “life changes and takes different directions”.
She is still interested in politics, attending the Kīngitanga hui at Turangawaewae and will be on a political panel at Waitangi.
Kiri Allan has a lot to contribute to Māori and the community in general — hopefully she will continue to have opportunities to make a difference.
