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Dunedin’s ZM says drunks drove disability error

Sinead Gill and Poppy Clark

A radio station whose staff parked in a disability spot to hand out a prize has acknowledged it ‘‘wasn’t acceptable’’, but says it was due to safety concerns.

ZM uploaded a photo to its Instagram page on Friday, taken during a busy St Patrick’s Day on Castle St, Dunedin.

The photo depicted ZM’S Black Thunder – a roving vehicle driven by staff who handed out spot prizes – on top of disabled car park markings outside a University of Otago study centre.

After criticism, ZM removed the photo and uploaded a nearidentical version with the disabled markings photoshopped out. A spokesperson for the station told Stuff they parked in the spot temporarily ‘‘due to safety concerns’’.

‘‘While our team were looking for a car park, several people spotted our vehicle and started to surround it, including some who appeared to be intoxicated.’’

The team made the call to park in the disabled car park ‘‘periodically, due to safety concerns for themselves and those around the vehicle’’.

They were there for ‘‘less than two minutes’’, in which time they handed out a prize and took a photo of the winners, before leaving. ‘‘Nonetheless, they know parking there wasn’t acceptable,’’ the spokesperson said.

National News

en-nz

2023-03-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281659669279822

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