Prime Minister John Key Photo: Unknown
Prime Minister John Key says he sincerely regrets the hair-pulling incident and everyone on the planet would agree he misread the situation.
Key will be back in Parliament this week where he will face questions about his repeated pulling of an Auckland waitress' ponytail.
He told Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report he should have read the situation better.
"Clearly, I've misread the situation. I can absolutely assure people it was, it was really meant in...in good humour and nothing else. There was some context there in the wider environment, but you know, every...every person on the planet would accept that I should have read that situation better, and I clearly didn't and I regret that and I've apologised sincerely for it."
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The Prime Minister was on his way to Gallipoli for the Anzac centenary commemorations when the story broke, attracting global attention.
Key wouldn't be drawn on whether or not he had embarrassed New Zealand.
"Well, I hope not. I mean we live in a global world where you know all sorts of stories do actually go round the world in varying form. I mean I didn't pick up any single newspaper in any country I was in and saw it. So, the fact that something goes round the internet is quite standard these days."
A version of this story was first published on radionz.co.nz.