"The Hercules had been on the ice for many hours, the wind chill temperature was -25 which had created an issue to the seal," Ardern told the AM Show.
"It is not unusual for planes or aircraft to have issues in certain environmental conditions."
She admitted on the TV One Breakfast that the Hercules fleet needed to be upgraded and that new ones are on order to be manufactured next year. They are due to be delivered in 2024-2025.
The RNZAF C130 Hercules meant to fly Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern back to New Zealand from Antarctica on Friday had issues with its window seals, the PM reveals. Photo / Mike Scott
"We have put four billion dollars into strengthening our defence force," Ardern said.
Talking about a recent poll that showed NZ First becoming kingmaker again after crossing the 5 per cent threshold, Ardern told the AM Show there were going to be more polls in the coming months.
"It's far too early for us to be making predictions of that nature," she said.
"It's always a risk with those strategic votes, very rarely those minor parties put on record who they want to work with."
When asked about a recruiter struggling to bring in staff from overseas, Ardern said she could not comment on an individual recruiter's experience.
However, she emphasised that NZ had the lowest inflation impact when compared with other countries.
"Visa processing times are down, 17000 people have work visa to come into the country. We have 70000 employers approved to get workers from overseas," she said.
"New Zealand has experienced an increase in inflation but we have a job to do, to tell the positive story. That's why I have been going to trade missions, there is a global shortage of skills number of countries competing."
On Iran, Ardern said it was "hard work diplomacy" that got the New Zealand couple who were documenting their travels in Iran on social media out of the country.
Ardern said with respect to Iran, New Zealand was very clear in its position.
"We condemned what happened, and we called for an independent inquiry into the death of the young girl," she said.
"We are looking at what more we can do. There is only a handful of countries who have designated Iranian guard as a terrorist group. We will continue to look at ways we can escalate and raise our concerns."
Ardern warned Kiwis about travelling to Iran.
“It is a dangerous environment for foreign nationals, and I reiterate again, do not travel. If you are in Iran, we cannot guarantee that we can get you out should anything change in your circumstances,” Ardern said.
