2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Have she and her Ministers lived up to the commitment—SPEAKER: Order! I think it's have".Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Right. Sorry Mr Speaker. Has she and her—SPEAKER: No. Order! Take the sheet I think. Thank you.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well that's what I said Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: No you said "has" not "have".Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Have she and her Ministers lived up to the commitment to "be the most open most transparent Government that New Zealand has ever had" in respect of the process for appointing the Government's Chief Technology Officer?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): No. As has been stated at the time Clare Curran's failure to accurately answer parliamentary questions about her meeting with Mr Handley did not meet my or the former Minister's expectation. That is why I accepted her resignation from her open Government responsibilities. Hon Simon Bridges: What were the communications between herself and Clare Curran on the matter of the Government's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) appointment which were confirmed to have taken place by the State services Minister Chris Hipkins in Parliament last Thursday?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I would need to go back and check directly but my recollection is—because of course the CTO role was designed to report directly to the Minister but also to have some reporting lines to myself as Prime Minister—that the Minister kept me up to date generally with the process but only as would have been appropriate. Hon Simon Bridges: Were the communications between herself and Clare Curran about the Chief Technology Officer role in the form of emails texts conversations or were they across multiple platforms and if so which?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: In order to answer that with accuracy I would need to go back and check across all those platforms.Hon Simon Bridges: What was the content of the communication between herself and Clare Curran on the appointment of Chief Technology Officer?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I referred to in my second answer the Minister kept me abreast generally with the process she was undertaking because of the anticipated reporting lines but it was only as appropriate and as Ministers do from time to time on significant appointments.Hon Simon Bridges: Was there an email between the Prime Minister and Clare Curran by way of private Gmail account?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I would need to go back and check any of these questions. I believe that there are Official Information Act requests that have gone in to the Minister. Minister Curran has made sure that all of her Gmails have been handed over to the Chief Archivist which means that they will be subject to the Public Records Act and the Official Information Act and of course the Official Information Act covers all my correspondence as well.Hon Simon Bridges: Given I'm asking the Prime Minister about direct communications by private Gmail between her and her former Minister does she really expect us to take it that she can't tell us today?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: What I'm saying to the House is I am happy to answer those questions in detail if the member gives me notice so that I can make sure that I answer them with accuracy. That I think is probably fair enough given that as Prime Minister I will receive hundreds of emails and a number of text messages and the member's asking me to recall with some specificity about both.Hon Simon Bridges: Has the Prime Minister used private Gmail with Clare Curran?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again primarily I conduct my business across my parliamentary accounts but I want to ensure that I answer the member with accuracy so if he wishes to put them down in detail then I will do so.Hon Grant Robertson: Does the Prime Minister recall the following quote: "I have quite a number of emails but because I have my electorate office and others I tend to use a private email address." made by John Key the former National Party Prime Minister?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes I have seen that statement and that is why I have consistently told the House the most important piece of information here is that all of those forms of communication—be they LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp text message—are covered by the Official Information Act because it is mode-neutral to ensure that we can document to this House where all of that work takes place. That's exactly what the former leader of the National Party said himself.Hon Simon Bridges: Has she had any conversations emails or texts with Derek Handley since she's been Prime Minister?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again to answer with some accuracy I would want to go back. My best recollection—[Interruption] SPEAKER: Order!Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: My best recollection is that I received some months ago a text from Mr Handley mentioning the CTO role which I do not recall directly engaging with as that would not have been appropriate.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Has the Prime Minister contemplated putting the leader of the National Party out of his misery by leaking the email?SPEAKER: Further supplementary?Hon Simon Bridges: Were the conversations emails or texts with Mr Handley about the role of the Government's Chief Technology Officer and if so what was discussed?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I can rule out any direct verbal communication. I haven't spoken with Mr Handley in at least a year or maybe two. As I say my best recollection is I received a text message that I didn't directly engage in. For all other platforms I would want to go back and check but I don't recall directly communicating in regards to that role.Hon Simon Bridges: Did she agree to Derek Handley being offered the job of the Government's Chief Technology Officer last month noting that the Cabinet minute of last December states that the appointment would be made by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Government Digital Services?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The appointment went to the Cabinet appointments and honours committee (APH) where all members of APH make a collective decision. I of course am a member of APH where that decision was made. I declared at that meeting my knowledge of Mr Handley."