Allan said today she will not be contesting this year’s election on October 14 so she can heal and “chart a new course” for her life following mental health struggles that led to her crashing her car in Wellington on Sunday and subsequent arrest by police.
She has been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle and refusing to accompany a police officer following the crash. She was also issued an infringement notice for having excess breath alcohol between 250 and 400mcg. The legal limit for a person aged 20 years and over is 250mcg.
Allan resigned all her ministerial portfolios, including justice, on Monday.
Ake, a former journalist who joined the board this month, published a Facebook post yesterday, questioning why Allan was cleared to return to Parliament.
He also hit out at some of the reaction to Allan's arrest and resignation, saying the sharks were circling while there was blood in the water.
"When there's blood in the water the sharks circle and they're more than happy to digest every last morsel and watch the bones sink to the depths. It is a blood sport."
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins this morning told RNZ it was not appropriate for Ake to share his political opinions, given his role on the board of a Crown entity.
RNZ's chair Jim Mather reminded Ake that he must avoid certain political activities in his new role, saying he would discuss the matter with him directly when back from an overseas trip at the end of the week.
However, Ake this afternoon published a new post, saying events like Allan's resignation elevate the opportunity for Māori to have conversations about mental health.
"We need to grab those opportunities because they encourage public discourse especially among our whānau. Mental health and well-being is the silent killer and a swathe of Māori journos got it immediately."
Māori were disproportionately affected by mental health issues, he said.
"Yes we live longer but we continue to lag behind Pākehās. That's the real crime here and much of it is borne out of this ideological premise that we as Māori must conform.
"That's the conversation we had in our whare last night with our kids. We probably would not have had that yarn if we were not jabbed by recent events. I wonder how many other Māori households had that discussion or at least raised their collective awareness."
Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson said this morning that Ake had always been a vocal person and this would need to stop if he was to remain an RNZ board member.
"He will pull back though, because as I said the chair's been in touch and he's going to have to if he wants to stay a board member there."
Allan this afternoon announced she would not seek re-election for the East Coast electorate and apologised, saying she had let her electorate and the Labour Party down and all those who relied on her.
