More than 80,000 people think Jacinda Ardern should be given the Nobel Peace Prize - but a few Australian political commentators aren't among them.
Speculation that the Prime Minister could be up for the prestigious honour has been fuelled by a number of online petitions from around the world. One of them, hosted by Change.org, has attracted 82,247 signatures as of Tuesday, while another on French website Avaaz.org has almost 4000.
Those who launched the petitions say Ardern should be recognised for her response to the March 15 terror attack in Christchurch.
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"If a Nobel Prize for Peace could be given to a spontaneous statement for wisdom and courage, rather [than] to a person, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern deserves it," one petition reads. "The words spoken by her after the terror attack in Christchurch were few. They are unforgettable."
Ardern's actions in the wake of the killing of 51 Muslim worshippers, including her famous 'They are us' speech and the hijab she wore in solidarity, attracted praise from around the world. The Government's swift ban on semi-automatic weapons was also lauded.
But some in Australia, where Ardern met with Prime Minister Scott Morrison for bilateral talks last week, were less impressed.
During an on-air discussion of the deportation of New Zealand-born criminals living in Australia, Sky News Australia host Peta Credlin brought up the subject of a potential award for Ardern.
"What's this rumour that she's sort of in contention for a Nobel Peace Prize for that work in Christchurch?" she said.
"If Christchurch equals Nobel Peace Prize and all Obama really had to do was win the election, basically just get out of bed, and he got one as well - aren't we devaluing something that used to be very revered?''
President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than a year after taking office, for his international diplomacy and anti-nuclear vision.
Guest Dr Jeremy Sammut, a director at libertarian think tank The Centre for Independent Studies, agreed with Credlin's dismissal.
"I think that's undoubtedly true, and I think unfortunately for a long time the credibility of the Nobel Prize has been undermined, particularly by the decision to give it to President Obama before he'd literally done anything or hardly had his feet under the desk," he said. "So I think that's a real issue."
In the same broadcast, commentator Gemma Tognini accused Ardern of flaunting her "moral posture" during her visit to Australia.
"It's very, very cute for her to come to another country and morally posturise the way she has been," she told Credlin.
"I don't know if it were in reciprocal circumstances whether it would be tolerated nor appreciated."
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