Entrepreneur Derek Handley believes his experience could put other people off applying for government jobs.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she did not mislead Parliament over her relationship with Derek Handley.

Earlier this month Ardern told Parliament that she had received a text from Handley about the highly-paid chief technology officer (CTO) role he was applying for, but she had not responded to it.

Messages released by Handley on Tuesday show she did respond to a message from him asking "What is best email to send you a note w some starter thoughts? [sic]" - although this message was part of a chain about more than just the CTO role.

Her answer is redacted but is likely to be an email address.

Handley was offered the CTO role and verbally accepted it, but that offer ended up being withdrawn, after multiple questions arose about the process undertaken by former minister Clare Curran. He was offered $107,500 in compensation.

NICK PERRY/AP Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she has not misled the public about the communication she had with Derek Handley over the chief technology officer role.

Speaking in New York on Tuesday, Ardern reiterated that she "did not engage with him directly on the issue of the CTO role".

"I have not engaged since he mentioned his interest in the CTO role. It would not have been appropriate for me to do so."

Ardern said she had known Handley for a number of years.

The messages preceding her text back to him mentioned the role as part of a wider idea of Handley wanting to help Ardern "in any way possible."

National leader Simon Bridges said the Government had misled the public.

"The Prime Minister said to me in questions there was one text, she didn't even dignify it with a response ... the picture presented by the text is anything but that, in fact there's been a conversation there," Bridges said.

He admitted there was nothing to suggest that he got the job because of his relationship with Ardern but said "it did mean that he got the in".

"We will never know what the Prime Minister said to Clare Curran about this, whether she said 'this is my mate he's a great person'."

Bridges said the Government was "shoddy" at declaring these kinds of "mateships and friendships" and "maybe we could move on" if Ardern had declared it.

Ardern did in fact declare her relationship with Handley to the Cabinet team who deal with appointments, as she noted in a response to Bridges in question time last week.

Bridges said he "hadn't seen that."

Ardern said in Parliament that she could rule out "direct verbal communication" with Handley about the role.

"My best recollection is that I received, some months ago, a text from Mr Handley mentioning the Chief Technology Officer role, which I do not recall directly engaging with, as that would not have been appropriate," Ardern said.

THE CHAIN OF TEXTS

Handley's first message to Ardern in April mentioned that he was ready to come home to New Zealand from abroad and "a big draw card is to help and support you in any way possible. Your fresh leadership is reason enough. How do we figure out how I can best serve you and New Zealand? I have a lot of ideas and I think I can be very useful."

Ardern responded to say it was great to hear he was coming home and to ask when he was returning. After he responded saying he would be home in August or September she said she was keen to "catch up" when he's back and she would "talk to the team about how we can make use of you and your kind offer."

At this point in the text chain the CTO role had not been mentioned once.

Handley then sent Ardern a series of three texts. One said he had a "few thoughts" on how he could help and he would like to email them to her. The second said a "number of people have urged me to seriously consider this CTO thing - esp after first round didn't move ahead. I think that role is more about society than technology so I'm not sure the average CIO or CTO is the answer."

His third text, sent the next day, asked what the best email was to send her a note with some starter thoughts.

Ardern responded with a redacted message - likely to be her email address.

Handley also sent Ardern an email about the role but this was not responded to.

HANDLEY OWED APOLOGY

Ardern said Handley was owed an apology for the way the CTO recruitment process was handled.

"We do owe him an apology," Ardern said.

"No one is arguing this has been a good process. It has not."

Bridges agreed that Handley had been badly treated.

"The truth is he's been treated shabbily," Bridges said.

New Government Digital Services Minister Megan Woods said there was no question about why Handley had been rejected from the position - the reason was the Government had decided to rescope the role.

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