Mark Richardson says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has led New Zealand through the Christchurch terror attack with grace.
The AM Show sports presenter, who famously sparred with Ardern over whether a woman should tell her employer about plans to have children, was full of praise for the Prime Minister on Friday morning.
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"There is not one person in this world who I would have wanted other than her to lead us through this tragedy and to be the face for New Zealanders.
"We will do battle politically in the coming months, and there are other issues that we will battle on because they are just as important to New Zealanders, and this country.
"But right now what I want to say to Jacinda Ardern is that over the last seven days you've done us proud with your grace."
Fifty people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside the Deans Ave and Linwood Ave mosques on Friday, March 15.
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Ardern travelled to Christchurch the next day and met with leaders of the Muslim community. Her comments in the wake of the tragedy have been shared around the world since.
"She promptly labelled the worst peacetime mass killing in New Zealand as terrorism, and set about reassuring a nation that has been largely unscathed by the violence and fears that have afflicted other countries in the past two decades," Reuters reported.
Ardern announced on Saturday gun laws would be reformed, less than 24 hours after the shooting. She announced the detail of some of those reforms on Thursday.
The reforms are expected to be passed by April 11, with more to follow.
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