Americans who have taken to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after watching her light-hearted interaction with Herald political reporter Jason Walls have said they want to move to New Zealand.
Some have even called for her to replace US President Donald Trump.
During a press conference this week, Ardern called on Walls to ask a question, only for Walls, who was multi-tasking by covering Ardern's responses live for the Herald, to briefly forget his initial question.
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Advertise with NZME."Sorry, it doesn't matter," said Walls.
"We'll come back to you, no problem," laughed Ardern.
"I do worry about your sleep at the moment though Jason."
Ardern's good-natured response caught the eye of a Washington correspondent to United Arab Emirates media outlet The National, Joyce Karam, who shared the moment on Twitter.
"At a time when journalists are under attack by US President, expelled by China, Egypt and censored by many authoritarian states, it's heartening to see civility in leadership," she wrote.
After watching the interaction, many Americans commented that it was time to move to New Zealand or wished that Ardern was their president.
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The video, which has received nearly 50,000 views, also left several overseas viewers confused over Ardern's Kiwi accent, as they were certain they had heard the name "Justin".
Karam was similarly surprised when notified of her mistake.
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Advertise with NZME."Reporter's name is Jason, not Justin," she later clarified on Twitter.
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"Listened to it more than once and thought it's Justin.
"Maybe I need some sleep too and better understanding of Kiwi accent," she joked.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
Kiwis were quick to come to her defence though, poking fun at their own accents.
In the end, perhaps Herald political reporter Claire Trevett found the easiest solution to the problem.
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Advertise with NZME.And, as for ̶J̶u̶s̶t̶i̶n̶ Jason Walls, well, he's back to work – and happy to report that the Prime Minister should no longer be concerned.
