"We ran over Cindy's cat," Sainsbury's Bennett says.
"I wanted to stay and check if it was all right, but Maggie Barry, who's had a vendetta against cats since I don't know when (...) said 'who cares, let's keep driving'.
"I've got to such a good place with Maggie, with our friendship, that I didn't want to argue with her so I reluctantly kept driving.
"I have shared my condolences with Cindy," she adds.
Sainsbury's Bennett is full of guilt, not aided by the fact that as she was retouching her "lippy" in the bathroom of the Opposition's offices, the message "I know what you did this early Summer" mysteriously appeared on the mirror, with a paw print beside it.
Ardern's cat Paddles died earlier this week after being struck by a car.
Ardern said on Facebook: "To anyone who has ever lost a pet, you'll know how sad we feel. Paddles was much loved, and not just by us. Thanks for everyone's thoughts. And on behalf of Paddles, please be kind to the SPCA. They found her before we did, and we will always be grateful for that."
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister had earlier confirmed: "Yes, sadly Paddles has died after being run over by a car near the Point Chevalier home of the PM yesterday evening."
Paddles, a ginger SPCA cat, had become a celebrity in her own right, and a Twitter account had been established in her name.
The creator of Paddles' Twitter account said Gayford asked that people make a donation to the SPCA if they wished to remember the feline.