State broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported that Ardern told media that she had not found the interview sexist or insulting.

"Maybe it's just that I'm from Morrinsville. I don't know. I just wasn't particularly fazed by any of it," it quoted her as saying. Morrinsville is a small town on New Zealand's North Island where Ardern grew up.

Ardern said she didn't regard the question about the baby's conception date as offensive but said it might have been classed as "a little too much information."

Wooley later told New Zealand talkback station Newstalk ZB that he was surprised at the "Orwellian" reaction to the interview, adding that it was "not a good time to be a journalist."

"If you say someone is attractive ... I think you should relist 'attractive' in the thesaurus, about 50 choices from good looking to gorgeous to likeable -- there's so many different meanings," he said. "I'm going with winning. Winning is one of the alternatives in my directory."

Woolley told NewstalkZB his wife had thought he had been a too "gushing" but that everyone was "smitten by a wonderful prime minister."

"I know that some people in New Zealand might be annoyed that we didn't talk about housing, or university fees but -- this is an absolutely shocking thing to say -- but Australian audiences aren't very interested in the minutiae of New Zealand politics."

He said that Ardern had not appeared to be uncomfortable during the interview and that he did not regret asking about the date of conception.

"Between you and me, I do get paid to do this and my executive producer would've sacked me if I hadn't asked that," he said. "I thought it was a funny point and obviously it wasn't in New Zealand -- we're culturally different."

Some Australians reacted with embarrassment on social media.

"60 Minutes. Classy as ever. Trans Tasman relations at a new low..." posted one.