O'Brien asked Ardern if she would have been willing to queue up for "12 plus hours" to see the Queen if she wasn't Prime Minister.

"I think I would," said Ardern.

"In part as a way of acknowledging the moment in time as well as the person."

She said for many, there is a sense of remembering Queen Elizabeth II as well as wanting to be a part of the history being made now.

O'Brien asked if criticism from the public towards media and politicians about being able to skip queues to see the Queen lying in state was valid.

"I was very aware of the privileged position we had, to be there in that way," said Ardern.

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