PM Jacinda Ardern on hunt for new chief spin doctor

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is on the hunt for a new chief press secretary as incumbent Mike Jaspers moves into a different role in her office.

The first sign of the move was when Jaspers' role was advertised this morning.

Jaspers will move sideways into a new role as chief advisor of strategic communications - a more back-room role which involves overseeing the wider government strategy.

Ardern currently has four press secretaries, down from five after Sarah Austen-Smith left last week to travel overseas after a few months in the role.

Jaspers was taken on in late 2016 under former leader Andrew Little but stayed on after Ardern became leader during the election campaign and was appointed her chief press secretary as Prime Minister after the election.

He was Ardern's conduit with local media and also oversaw her extensive programme in international media.

This is fascinating. Mike Jaspers must have resigned. Never known a chief press secretary to resign just six months into Govt https://t.co/0mZlWvSxiX

— David Farrar (@dpfdpf) March 25, 2018

A former TVNZ journalist, Jaspers worked for former Finance Minister Sir Michael Cullen in the last Labour Government and managed media relations for NZ Rugby prior to that.

Former Prime Minister John Key's original chief press secretary Kevin Taylor made a similar move as Jaspers into a more back-room role after serving as chief press secretary for several years.

There are also changes in National Party leader Simon Bridges' office – former leader Bill English's chief of staff Craig Howie has decided to leave the role after the handover and Bridges has appointed his former ministerial advisor Jamie Gray as chief of staff.

After a leadership change, all leaders' office staff are given one month's notice and the new leader decides which staff to keep. It is understood English's chief press secretary Michael Fox and most other staff have been kept on by Bridges.