Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Senior Minister Erica Stanford forwarded official briefings to her personal email, against Cabinet Manual advice.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said changes were made to ensure better management by Stanford.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticised Stanford, stating there was “absolutely no justification” for her actions.
Senior Minister Erica Stanford sent official briefings to her personal email account – an action discouraged by Parliament’s Cabinet Manual.
Stanford says she forwarded the emails so she could print them at home or at her electorate office, often while being away from Wellington for work.
Labour says there is “absolutely no justification” as Parliament technology had dramatically improved in recent years and was now “all fully mobile.”
Stanford said the printer in her East Coast Bays electorate office in Auckland was only connected to the Parliamentary server last month, meaning she needed to forward the emails to a personal account to print them.
The Cabinet Manual – the rulebook for Government ministers – includes several provisions around when personal email use is unavoidable, including ensuring the information is protected from unauthorised access.
Government Minister Erica Stanford. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“When I have needed hard copies of briefings while working away from Parliament, I have at times, forwarded an email to my personal account for the purpose of printing at home or my electorate office.”
Stanford says she also receives unsolicited emails to her personal account from stakeholders and the public, and contacts she has an established relationship with.
“Where necessary, I have forwarded these emails to my ministerial email or ministerial staff to be actioned or be included in official information.
“Many emails to my personal email have previously been considered in scope of Official Information Act requests and released to requestors.”
She says an automatic reply for her personal email address has been set up to direct unsolicited emails to relevant Parliament email addresses.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his office had discussed the issue with Stanford’s office.
Changes had been made to ensure better management going forward, he said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“I am very relaxed about it. The reality is ... she has received unsolicited emails, she has had printing issues, she’s had tech issues. She has made changes subsequently. ”
But Labour leader Chris Hipkins – the author of that particular part of the 2023 Cabinet Manual that covers personal email and phone use – said technology at Parliament had improved dramatically in recent years and there was “absolutely no justification” for Stanford’s actions.
“As Prime Minister, I changed the Cabinet Manual guidance around the use of personal email accounts to make it clear that ministers shouldn’t be doing that.
“The technology in Parliament has improved dramatically in the last few years. There is no longer a need to use personal email accounts, for example, to print documents. The technology is now all fully mobile.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Cabinet Manual rules
In Labour‘s first term, former minister Clare Curran admitted to conducting some ministerial business using a Gmail account.
In 2023, a section was added to the Cabinet Manual to clarify whether ministers can use their personal email and phone numbers.
It currently sets out rules for using a personal email account while a minister.
The section reads:
“Ministers should not use their personal email account or phone number to conduct ministerial business.
“Where the use of a personal account or phone number for ministerial business is unavoidable (for example, when ministers are travelling and/or have issues accessing their ministerial account) it is important that:
(a) information is protected from unauthorised access, use, and disclosure and that classified and personal information is handled appropriately;
(b) the minister‘s office and officials have ready access to relevant information;
(c) timely responses can be made to requests for access to that information, for example, under the Official Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 2020; and
(d) accurate records can be preserved of ministerial decision-making in line with the Public Records Act 2005 (see also paragraph 8.104).”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
