Watch: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's press conference interrupted by earthquake

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was answering questions this morning on the new traffic light system that will replace the current alert level system in New Zealand when she was interrupted by an earthquake.

The 5.9 quake hit during Ardern's press conference this morning, in which she was clarifying the country's vaccination targets and the pathway beyond lockdowns.

While a reporter was asking her a question, Ardern held her podium as it began to shake.

"Ah, sorry, a slight distraction – would you mind repeating that question?" she then told the journalist.

The quake strikes while Jacinda Ardern is answering questions on camera. Photo / NZME

This is not the first time the Prime Minister has been interrupted by a quake while answering journalists' questions.

In May 2020, Ardern was speaking to The AM Show live from Parliament when a 5.8 quake struck northwest of Levin.

"We're just having a bit of an earthquake here," she told the show's host at the time. "Quite a decent shake here," she added.

The footage made headlines all over the world at the time.

Today's quake was a magnitude 5.9 jolt, and rocked the central North Island, with many others across the country also reporting having felt it.

GeoNet said it struck 30km southwest of Taumarunui and was recorded at a depth of 210km.

The quake was felt as far north as Auckland in the North Island, and as far south as Christchurch in the South Island.