Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has apologised for the botched recruitment of entrepreneur Derek Handley as the Government’s chief technology officer, saying it could have been “tidier”.
Handley has been paid out $107,000 after being offered the role a month ago then had his contract terminated when the Government put a halt to the process.
Handley, who said he moved his family back to New Zealand after 10 years in New York for the role, is donating the money to the tech sector.
New Government Digital Services Minister Megan Woods said on Friday last week that the process was stopped while her officials reviewed the role.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning, Ardern admitted that the process could have been tidier.
“I know that any personal impact it’s had on Mr Handley who’s been caught in this, of course we would want to send our apologies for the fact this happened. It hasn’t been tidy and I’m not going to defend it.”
Ardern said she knew Handley but would not characterise him as a personal friend and she had no part in his recruitment.
“As with significant appointments ... I’m kept abreast of the process but not directly involved in it.”
Former minister Clare Curran was removed from Cabinet by Ardern over her failure to record and disclose a meeting she held with Handley about the role in February this year.
The meeting was arranged via her private Gmail account.
Curran lost her open government and digital services responsibilities but then decided to resign completely as a minister, citing “intolerable pressure” and the close scrutiny of her actions for her resignation.
Handley has said he moved his family from New York to take up the role. In a media interview in March he revealed he was about to move back to New Zealand.
“I land at Auckland Airport and cry - with happiness. Increasingly, we have all felt like that and so we are coming home,” Handley told the Listener.
