PM Jacinda Ardern tells Melbourne audience how forgiving Muslim community was after Christchurch shootings

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp (left) meets with NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right). Photo / Jason Walls

Thousands of Kiwi expats and Aussies packed into the Melbourne Town Hall to catch a glimpse of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and hear her speak about the importance of good governance.

It's not a topic that usually draws large crowds, but Ardern was greeted with rapturous applause as she took the stage to address the more than 2000 people in the audience.

But it was the question and answer session of the evening, when Ardern addressed questions about her leadership after the Christchurch shooting, which drew the most interest from spectators.

It was there she addressed whether or not US President Donald Trump had answered her call in the wake of the Christchurch shootings to show "sympathy and love" to Muslim communities.

Speaking to city officials before Ardern's speech, Melbourne's Lord Mayor Sally Capp said there was a lot of hype about Ardern and the speech.

"The energy started 48 hours ago and it's been brought into a crescendo this afternoon."
Even Ardern was surprised at the level of excitement.

"Thank you for calling a speech called 'good governance matters' a crescendo – very few people would characterize a speech of that nature in that way."

Before Ardern took the stage, an organist played a rendition of Kiwi pop star Lorde's hit song Royals as the iconic photo of Ardern embracing a Muslim woman after the Christchurch terror attack was projected on a large screen above the speaking podium.

The event's MC told the crowd they were "fanboy and fangirling".

The speech itself, aside from a few humorous anecdotes, did not stray far in content from other speeches she had given in New Zealand.

It was the question and answer session after the speech which drew much of the night's attention.

"I've seen humanity in the darkest of spaces," she said, reflecting on the Christchurch shootings.

She said that if there was ever an environment where it would have been justified for a community to hold anger and a sense of extraordinary injustice, it was that moment.

But when she first met with those impacted by the tragedy and Muslim leaders across Canterbury, they expressed "love, sympathy and compassion for New Zealanders".

"If I consider that environment and consider that kind of response in the face of something so extraordinary, I have a deep faith in humanity."

Ardern was also asked about Trump's comments after the shooting, when he asked how the US could help New Zealand.

At the time, Ardern said Trump could help by showing "sympathy and love for all Muslim communities".

Asked if Trump had done that, Ardern said: "You would be best to ask the Muslim community within the US about that; it's for them to judge".

The speech was meant to be the centrepiece of Ardern's trip when she was originally scheduled to fly over in March.

But the trip and the speech was postponed after the Christchurch terror attack.