Ex-Taupō district councillor fined for drunk-driving conviction

Anna Park has resigned from her role as a Taupō District Councillor after being caught drink driving. Photo: Supplied

A former Taupō District Councillor has been fined nearly $500 for being caught driving three times over the legal alcohol limit.

Anna Park was caught drink driving after failing a compulsory breath test in Taupō in November last year.

She admitted to the charges in February, and soon after resigned from her roles as a councillor, Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group chair and as a Crown Appointee to the Taupō-nui-a-Tia Management Board.

Park appeared in the Auckland District Court on Friday for her sentencing, and was supported by her husband.

Judge Claire Ryan said considering Park's early guilty plea, having already gone through counselling, and having lost her job as a councillor, a fine without supervision was appropriate.

"This has been devastating for you. You have lost your position on the council because of this. You have not held back from letting the public know. There's been a lot of public commentary, a lot of which is unnecessary and devastating for you and your whānau, so you have certainly been punished in a way that goes beyond reasonable."

Judge Ryan said she began with a high fine of $850 to reflect the concerning level of alcohol in Park's blood, and made deductions for Park's early guilty plea, and her work in counselling.

She was fined a final total of $487.50, with another $143 in court costs to be added.

The Judge also imposed a four years of strict no-alcohol driving conditions, staring with a 28-day stand down starting from her guilty plea on the 28 February, followed by an alcohol interlocking system for one year - where Park will be unable to drive a car without testing for zero breath alcohol on a breathalyser, and then a zero alcohol licence for three years.

Judge Ryan said Park was at low-risk of re-offending, and had made "significant changes" towards a zero-tolerance approach to drink driving through counselling. She also noted Parks "unwavering commitment for public service", having being a councillor since 2010.

"This is a very tough lesson to learn, when you drink alcohol the night before and think you're okay the following morning, as your case shows, you clearly are not," Judge Ryan said.

Park was breathalysed on the Control Gate Bridge in November the morning after a night of drinking, telling police she was on her way to pick up a hedge trimmer. Her breath initially tested for over 400 micrograms, and subsequent testing gave her a reading of over 800 milligrams - more than three times the legal limit.

She had been convicted of drink driving three previous times, in 1995, 2003 and 2006, and after the third offence was disqualified from driving for a year.

Park's lawyer, Samira Taghavi, told the judge Park had already been through the "court of public opinion", and said it was sometimes the harshest court.

Judge Ryan said that as a public figure, Park's fall from grace had been well-documented, and she and her family had suffered social media harassment and false rumours about the drink driving incident.

"She's endured profound shame and humiliation, in a way that others coming to this court and experiencing shame and humiliation have not done, because she is a public figure," Judge Ryan said.

"Miss Pickering has suffered a professional set-back, that stripped her of the identity, purpose and public trust she's spent years building. She's had to endure the comments made to her children, her children are innocent - there's no need for them to be caught up in this, but they have been."

In a statement sent by her lawyer in February, Park said she takes full responsibility for her lapse in judgement.

"I am deeply sorry for the disappointment and hurt my actions have caused to my family, friends, colleagues, and the wider community.

 "I am committed to learning from this mistake and earning back the trust I have lost."

Park said she did not seek name suppression because she believes in being fully accountable and taking responsibility for her actions.

However, she said she sought to protect her family from undue public attention by having the case heard out of town.

Park was first elected to Taupō District Council in 2010, and is also the daughter of the former National Party President Judy Kirk.

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