Former cabinet minister Clare Curran, who was sacked from cabinet a year ago, is to quit Parliament at the next election.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Ms Curran has been Labour's MP for Dunedin South since 2008. She currently is a member of the Education and Workforce Select Committee and the Justice Select Committee.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had removed her from Cabinet in August last year and stripped her of her digital services and open government portfolios.
She had failed to disclose two meetings - one with RNZ's then head of news, Carol Hirschfeld, and the other with tech entrepreneur Derek Handley.
That was the beginning of the end for Ms Curran, who just weeks later was left humiliated when she visibly and verbally battled her way through Question Time under pressure from the Opposition over her use of personal email for government business.
That display saw her go on personal leave and the following day she resigned from her two remaining ministerial posts as Broadcasting and ACC Minister.
She said it had all become too much.
"I am like the rest of you, a human being, and I can no longer endure the relentless pressure I've been under. I've made some mistakes - they weren't deliberate undermining of the political system.
"But my mistakes have been greatly amplified and the pressure on me has become intolerable," she said in September.
While Ms Curran stayed on as an electorate MP, today she announced that she would end her 12-year parliamentary career at next year's election.
Ms Ardern said Ms Curran was genuine and passionate about the work she did on public broadcasting and technology issues.
She denied pressuring Ms Curran - but also didn't encourage her to stay.
"Ultimately she came to me with a decision, so it wasn't something [that was] a matter for negotiation, she just came to me with a decision," she said.
"This has been on her terms and I respect that."
Residents in Dunedin South spoken to by RNZ were sad to see the MP step down, despite her highly-publicised downfall.
Her Labour Party colleagues also spoke kindly of her time in Parliament. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said his friend had decided for herself that it was time to go.
"Clare's made that decision on her own. She's a good friend of mine and someone who I'm really going to miss from around this place after next year.
"She's made some really important contributions to us as a party and certainly to her people she represents in South Dunedin."
Mr Robertson said Ms Curran was a fearless advocate for her constituents and he expected she would continue to be.
Ms Curran declined to be interviewed by RNZ.
