Mike Hosking defends questioning Labour leader Jacinda Ardern about wardrobe

Broadcaster Mike Hosking is defending asking what Labour's Jacinda Ardern would wear to the first leader's debate, saying it was a standard inquiry posed ahead of any special occasion.

Yesterday the NewstalkZB breakfast host asked Ardern ahead of last night's televised debate about her outfit. She replied she had started considering colour schemes and then asked if he would be asking Prime Minister Bill English the same question.

The broadcaster today explained the question that had provoked a great deal of "hand wringing and angst" among certain quarters was perfectly valid and tied in with discussions about his own wardrobe.

"Yesterday yet again I found myself the centre of attention - I cannot even begin to tell you how sick of that I am - by asking Jacinda Ardern a very simple question, 'what was she wearing last night?'.

"Here's why I asked her that question - and the media leapt all over that question as if it was some highfalutin scandal when it was nothing of the sort - first of all listeners to this programme will fully understand that for the last 48 hours before that interview yesterday we'd been talking about what I was wearing.

"We'd begun a two-day discussion on the fact that I had a suit and unfortunately the suit that was supplied to me didn't fit because my pants were too tight and we needed to adjust them so there was some levity and lightfootedness in the conversation, dare I suggest there was an element of humour in the discussion.

"So we'd been talking about that for two days so I figured there was a bit of a theme running in the programme, why not ask Jacinda Ardern what she was wearing tomorrow night?"

He also justified putting the question to Ardern saying it was something people always asked ahead of special events.

"Why would I also ask Jacinda Ardern what she was wearing because am I or am I not right in saying that for any major event in life that we attend the questions most oft asked is what are you wearing?

"There is nothing sexist about it, it is not a male or female thing it is just a standard inquiry."

He said it was not the first time he had asked politicians about their wardrobe choice, playing a clip from May 24 last year when he posed a similar question to Finance Minister Steven Joyce ahead of delivering the budget.

Then Labour party deputy leader Annette King also joined in the conversation, asking him to reveal details about the tie he would be wearing.

He described the entire episode as a storm in a teacup.