The AM Show host Duncan Garner and Newshub Europe correspondent Lloyd Burr exchanged friendly fire on Thursday over a couple of opinion pieces the pair wrote.
Garner accused Burr of "vomiting on a blank piece of paper" in his opinion piece about New Zealand's border closure.
Garner on Monday told viewers it was time to completely shut New Zealand's border for three months - including for returning Kiwis - to stop COVID-19 reentering the country.
But in response, Burr wrote an opinion piece saying Garner's idea was "bonkers".
"What a load of crap. Crap that's causing a whole lot of unnecessary angst to many Kiwis who're in really tough situations over here," Burr wrote.
Burr appeared on The AM Show on Thursday morning to discuss the latest developments in the UK and Europe, where, in a light-hearted exchange, Garner told him his piece was "substandard".
"You used to be better than this. The other bit is that you have basically vomited on a blank page and call this an argument," Garner said on Thursday.
In his piece, Burr wrote that "not all of us can pack up our lives and move back to the other side of the world in the space of three months".
"You personalise this and you don't see the meaning of what I have said in the first place," Garner told Burr.
Despite Garner giving the piece a "D-" grade, Burr pointed the finger back at him.
"If anyone knows what vomiting on a page and uploading it to the internet is like then it would be you," Burr said.
"You put your viewpoint on - you use your platform to spout out this talk about how Kiwis coming back are lazy and useless and having this taxpayer-funded holiday in a hotel. It's not like that at all.
"It is really hard for Kiwis over here who have been, for months and months and months, planning to return home; trying to cancel their lease agreements, trying to book flights that have been changed, getting transit visas and things like that."
He also told Garner it was worrying to see "anti-expat vitriol".
"It is pretty sad and it did upset people so I decided to carry that torch for the 60,000 or so Kiwis who are over here - I thought I'd jump in there and defend them from the likes of you."
"You seem nervous about attacking me," Garner shot back. "You quote, just then, that I said that they were 'lazy and useless'. I'd never say that about New Zealanders and not once did I say in the piece that New Zealanders were lazy and useless let's just focus on fact.
"You've got to not use emotion in an argument - you've got to use facts," Garner said.
Burr told viewers a lot of Kiwis who were permanent residents in places like the UK were losing their jobs and had no money.
"They want to come home - and then we've got you saying we need to close the borders to everyone including Kiwis and on top of that financial stress, on top of losing their jobs, you're adding a whole layer of stress," said Burr.
"I'd love to listen to more of you - but we have to go," Garner said. "I'd make an exemption for you to come home just so I can give you a bit of a whack," he joked.
Sports reader Mark Ricardson concluded by saying Burr made a "really good point".
"I think it would take me three months just to bloody close up my own house and move next door - these people are coming halfway across the world.
"It's not easy - there are loose ends that need to be tied up."
