‘Sorry, a slight distraction’: Jacinda Ardern’s cool response to NZ earthquake

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has gone viral for her cool reaction after an earthquake struck during a press conference.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has gone viral for her cool reaction after an earthquake struck as she fronted a press conference.

Ms Ardern was speaking to reporters in Wellington when a 5.9-magnitude quake struck around 30km southwest of Taumarunui on New Zealand’s North Island, just before 11am on Friday.

The Prime Minister gripped the lectern and looked concerned, before quickly composing herself as the shaking eased.

“Sorry, a slight distraction,” Ms Ardern said, smiling. “Would you mind repeating that question?”

According to 1News, more than 23,000 Kiwis reported feeling the quake within 15 minutes.

“A bit of a shaky start to a long weekend for many of us,” the National Emergency Management Agency wrote on Twitter.

“We hope everyone is feeling OK after that. It’s [a] good reminder to practice Drop, Cover and Hold for New Zealand ShakeOut next week.”

A decent shake just now felt across the North Island and upper South Island, with a M5.9 earthquake occurring 210 kilometres below the King Country. We have received over 25,000 felt reports. For more about this earthquake: https://t.co/wsgI5Tls32pic.twitter.com/O1nCKF5Kv8

— GeoNet (@geonet) October 21, 2021

The NZ Herald said the quake was felt as far north as Auckland in the North Island, and Christchurch in the South Island.

It was recorded at a depth of 210km, according to GeoNet.

While the tremors were felt across the country, many at the centre of the quake didn’t feel a thing.

“Oh, actually I didn’t feel anything,” Super Liquor Taumarunui manager Akhil Suthan told the NZ Herald. “When was it?”

There are no reports of damage so far.

“These deep earthquakes are typically widely felt, but usually not close to the epicentre,” GeoNet wrote on Twitter.

“This is due to the subducting tectonic plate under the North Island – most of the earthquake’s energy travels up and along the plate to the surface.”

GeoNet said “large, deep earthquakes” beneath the central and western North Island were not uncommon.

In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near Christchurch in the South Island, causing widespread damage and killing 185 people in one of the country’s deadliest disasters.