Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has paid tribute to the late former Prime Minister Mike Moore, calling him a "fierce intellectual with a huge heart".
Mr Moore died early this morning at the age of 71 at his home in Auckland.
"I saw Mike on Friday and am devastated to hear of his passing so soon after," Ms Ardern said from Kaikohe, Northland, today.
"He was just utterly focused on people."
Ms Ardern said he asked her questions on "politics, politics and ideas".
"He was an incredible man who has dedicated his life to New Zealand."
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said Mr Moore was "a boy from Kawakawa" who had "gone through a lot of hard times".
He said the difference between Mr Moore and many other MPs was that he left the political life a "massively improved person".
Mr Moore was Prime Minister from September 4 to November 2, 1990.
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