ANALYSIS: There was no shortage of career-tarnishing – and ending – political performances this year.

Former Labour ministers Stuart Nash and Michael Wood both got themselves booted from Cabinet, for leaking information from Cabinet meetings to donors, and for failing to declare shares, respectively.

Nash left politics after the election, while Wood lost his electorate to a political newcomer, National’s Carlos Chung.

A smattering of ACT and NZ First candidates didn’t even make it to polling day – including one who compared vaccine mandates to concentration camps, ACT’s Rangitata candidate, Elaine Naidu Franz.

Waikato MP Tim van de Molen, of National, was censured by the privileges committee and stripped of his portfolios, for threatening behaviour towards Labour’s Shanan Halbert.

Some of Halbert’s former staffers then told Newshub that Halbert had bullied them – but said they hadn’t raised formal complaints. Senior Labour MP, Ginny Andersen, was also accused of being a bully to a teenaged campaign volunteer during the election campaign.

But the demise of former justice minister, Kiri Allan, is especially seared into the political narrative.

Allan became the first justice minister to be arrested while in the role, after allegedly crashing her car and failing to accompany a police officer, in July.

Her personal story – growing up in a Pentecostal Christian community where she underwent conversion therapy, before heading to university, obtaining a law degree from Victoria University and entering politics – as well as her approach to her portfolios, and the openness with which she shared her life on social media, made her an unconventional politician.

She initially rose to the nation’s consciousness for her calm and effective management of both a tsunami and the biggest evacuation in New Zealand’s history, following a series of earthquakes far off the North Island’s east coast in 2021.

Her work ethic was highly commended by her Labour colleagues, who called her “superwoman” and “a force of nature” after she revealed this came around the same time as an ultrasound confirmed she had cervical cancer.

She continued to impress and, earlier this year when Jacinda Ardern stood down as prime minister, Allan’s name was among those mentioned as a potential successor.

Then a senior public servant, with decades of experience, told Stuff Allan “yelled and screamed” so loudly, staff in the office heard the telephone call.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they witnessed Allan “absolutely berate” another official for 20 minutes on another occasion.

Another former senior official with a long history of public service also said they had concerns about Allan’s dealing with staff. “Basically, low trust and respect of public servants was [the] issue,” they said.

Allan rejected the allegations.

Chris Hipkins, then the prime minister, said it was during a period of extreme emotional distress that she allegedly crashed her car. Willie Jackson, a senior Labour MP, said Allan had called him and asked if she could share a meal with him shortly before the incident, but he was not in the capital.

Allan was charged with careless use of a motor vehicle in Wellington and refusing to accompany an enforcement officer after the crash on July 23.

She resigned her portfolios, and ended her tenure as justice minister, but has continued to post updates on her life on social media. Her downfall raised questions about mental health, and the toll on Parliamentarians.

In September, her lawyer entered a not guilty plea to refusing to accompany charge, but her court date was adjourned for the fourth time in November.