Jacinda Ardern, right, is embraced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a bilateral meeting following the national remembrance service. Photo / AP
Jacinda Ardern, right, is embraced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a bilateral meeting following the national remembrance service. Photo / AP
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has barely put a foot wrong in the way she has compassionately dealt with the recent horrific terror attacks in Christchurch.
From wearing hijab to swiftly targeting weak Kiwi gun laws, Ardern has managed to remain composed during testing times as the world watched.
That is,until ScoMo showed up.
Ardern and Morrison embrace. Photo / AP
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and Ardern met at today's memorial in Christchurch for those killed in the mosque terror attacks.
The Kiwi PM greeted Morrison as he arrived in the city for the service.
But in shades of a John Key "three-way handshake", Ardern offered her hand while Morrison went in for the hug - resulting in an awkward moment in front of the cameras.
"Give me a hug," Morrison said, and the situation was quickly rectified, resulting in a long embrace that showed the bond between our countries remains as strong as ever.
The encounter was in stark contrast to Ardern's interview with The Project's Aussie host Waleed Aly earlier this week.
During that interview Ardern asked Aly if she could have a hug before the pair sat down for an emotional interview.
"I know that might sound strange," she told the TV host, who had travelled to New Zealand to speak with her in the wake of the attacks.
During the interview Ardern asked Waleed Aly if she could have a hug before the pair sat down for an emotional interview. Photo / Supplied
Maybe ScoMo - who has had his own run-ins with The Project host over the past week - didn't want to be outdone.
Tensions between the two men reached boiling point during their discussion on The Project, with Morrison accusing Aly of conducting a smear campaign against him, the Daily Mail reported.
Aly spoke about comments Morrison allegedly made regarding using anti-Muslim sentiment to win points with voters during a shadow cabinet meeting in 2010.
It was worth learning how to make GIFs, just to relive this moment over and over... pic.twitter.com/B4RqGFLMEA
Morrison has denied the claim and said it had damaged his reputation with the Islamic community.
"You implied Muslims couldn't feel safe because they had a PM who had somehow been prejudiced against them and I don't believe that's true," Morrison said.
And a handshake for good measure. Photo / AP
"Can't you see that what you're suggesting is at complete odds with the experience that I have been involved in over the last ten years of my public life?"
Aly had referenced a 2011 report in the Sydney Morning Herald to make the claim, which Morrison called a smear and a lie earlier in the week.
But The Project host challenged Morrison's claim that the report was not valid.
