Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has not gone as far as condemning US President Donald Trump for labelling the presidential election a "fraud", but she's calling for every vote to be counted.
"Obviously as votes are still being counted I think the whole world waits for the final outcome in the United States," Ardern told reporters in Auckland on Thursday. "We have faith in the institutions in the United States."
Former US Vice President Joe Biden is battling to win the presidency from incumbent Trump, a Republican who took over from Democrat Barack Obama in 2016.
Both Biden and Trump gave speeches on Wednesday night after the results of America's electoral college voting system were still too close to call. Each candidate seemed confident in their ability to take home the presidency.
Biden said he believed he was "on track" to win the election, while Trump caused outrage by saying from the White House that he had won and called the election "a fraud on the American public".
Trump has requested a recount of the votes in Wisconsin where Biden leads. He has also filed lawsuits asking for vote counting to stop in Michigan and Georgia. The campaign claims it hasn't had access to counting locations.
Ardern, when asked by Newshub if Trump is subverting democracy, said: "For any democracy what's really important is that their citizens support it, believe in it, that the political parties support it and believe in it."
Ardern added, "Our strong view is that other democracies should be left to run their course but that means letting every vote be counted and letting people have their say and for a democracy to be heard."
The Prime Minister made her remarks after delivering a speech to the business community in Auckland during which she reflected on the current political environment.
"Yesterday, like many of you, I watched the results of the US election roll in, and I couldn't help but reflect on our own elections in recent years," Ardern said in her speech.
"No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, I'd like to think we can agree that a strong democracy requires a few pre conditions: citizens that believe in their system, and participate in it - political parties that believe and support the system too."
Ardern said she has increasingly come to believe that "we have to find ways that strong views can be held, and expressed, but without the accompanying partisanship that stops us from working to build consensus where it really matters".
The US Ambassador to New Zealand has spoken out against Trump, telling The AM Show it was wrong of him to declare victory before the votes have been counted.
Scott Brown said while he was happy with high voter engagement in the US, he didn't agree with Trump's decision to declare the election for himself.
"Should he have gone on TV and announced victory? I think no."
