Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has refused an Official Information Request Act request to release her messages with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Jacinda Ardern recently joined Prince William's Earthshot Prize as Trustee.
Speaking about the appointment, Prince William said: “It is an honour to welcome Jacinda to The Earthshot Prize team.
The request was filed by NZ Herald and the newspaper said it has now appealed that decision to the Ombudsman.
The publication reported that Ardern has decided to keep her messages with Harry and Meghan secret.
The chair of New Zealand’s Republican Movement, Lewis Holden, said the messages need to be released, noting there is high public interest in knowing whether Harry and Meghan are using the influence and access afforded by Harry’s birth appropriately.
Harry and Meghan were reported to have considered relocating to New Zealand after stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family. In Harry’s memoir Spare, he confirmed the reports.
Nearly three years of correspondence from 2018 to 2022 was requested by the Herald.
According to the newspaper, the government acknowledged that there are “additional communications between then-Prime Minister Ardern and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” themselves, which it has decided to keep from the public eye.
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