Prime Minister Bill English was caught on the hop when asked about US airstrikes in Syria this afternoon.
English was visiting the Whangarei Town Basin and was unable to immediately comment when asked about the attack by reporters.
The Northern Advocate reported that English looked surprised and said he did not know anything about it.
His spokeswoman said the Prime Minister's office would be issuing a statement later in the day.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has been asked for comment.
On Wednesday, McCully condemned the chemical weapons attack in northwest Syria which prompted the US military response today.
The minister said he was "appalled" to learn of a new attack in an area where chemical weapons had previously been used.
The attack was "especially horrific" because of the number of children killed, he said.
"The Security Council must take action, or we will continue to see more horrific acts like this."
Labour leader Andrew Little was watching the situation unfold on CNN this afternoon as he waited for a jury to come back on his defamation trial.
Speaking about the missile strikes, Little said: "It's already an incredibly complicated situation and this will only make it more complex."
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Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was briefed on the military strike this morning, according to Australian media.
The Australian reported that Turnbull received a call before 7am this morning White House officials to brief him on the impending military action.
Australian defence officials in the Australian base in UAE the Middle East were also alerted because of the RAAF's role in operations against Isis in Syria, the paper reported.
Speaking after the airstrikes, US President Donald Trump called on "all civilised nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria".
New Zealand currently has 140 military trainers based in a non-combat capacity in Iraq as part of the fight against the Islamic State. It does not have a military presence in Syria.