Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spent the morning at Fieldays in Hamilton on Thursday, just days before her baby is due and likely her last public appearance until then.
Ms Ardern was asked by Australian media what the response from the New Zealand public has been to her pregnancy and she said it was "mostly just wishing me good luck".
"Kiwis aren't really inclined to share a judgement on it, they just wish you well which is wonderful, and even then not nearly as much advice as people think I would get."
Asked if Kiwis were kinder than Australians might have been in the same scenario, she said she couldn't comment.
"All I know is that New Zealanders are incredibly generous people, and have been generous in their support of me regardless of the politics, just as another human being going into a new stage of life."
She was asked how New Zealand's women's suffrage movement and previous female prime ministers had influenced the public's response to her pregnancy.
"There's no doubt that the path for women in politics was laid well before me. I am the third female prime minister, in that regard I'm not a novelty. I guess a pregnancy is different, that's not something we've even seen much internationally. But even then I've got a strong sense that New Zealanders just see this as a life event, not something that's going to particularly affect my job and have therefore just been wishing me well, which is really kind."
She disagreed that there were concerns about Winston Peters becoming Acting Prime Minister during her six weeks of leave, saying she'd had "very few comments" about it.
"I have no concerns and I think in return most New Zealanders don't either."
Newshub.
