Paul Henry has apologised for this morning's comments concerning Governer-General Anand Satyanand.
Mr Henry first asked Prime Minister John Key whether Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand was a New Zealander or not, then asked if he was going to pick someone who looked more like a New Zealander next time.
" I sincerely apologise to the Governor General, Sir Anand Satyanand for any offence I may have caused," Mr Henry wrote in a statement released by TVNZ.
"I am aware that Sir Anand has made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand. Anyone who knows anything about me will know I am a royalist, a constant defender of the monarchy and the role the Governor General plays in our society.
"If my comments have personally offended Sir Anand, I regret it deeply."
Earlier today Mr Henry said he had "no regrets".
"The comments that I made were perfectly clear, and I have no particular interest in discussing them any further.''
TVNZ communications manager Megan Richards told 3 News there have now been "several dozen" complaints about the incident on this morning's Breakfast show.
"Is he even a New Zealander?" Mr Henry asked.
Mr Key said he was.
"Are you going to choose a New Zealander who looks and sounds like a New Zealander this time... Are we going to go for someone who is more like a New Zealander this time?"
Mr Key appeared slightly uncomfortable with the line of questioning and moved on to joking about whether Mr Henry wanted the job.
Mr Satyanand was born and raised in Auckland, attending Richmond Road School in Ponsonby, and Sacred Heart College in Glen Innes. His parents were born in Fiji and migrated to New Zealand, his grandparents were born in India and had migrated to Fiji.
"The audience tell us over and over again that one of the things they love about Paul Henry is that he's prepared to say the things we quietly think but are scared to say out loud," a TVNZ spokeswoman said this morning.
"The question of John Key is the same: we want the answer but are to scared to ask."
Wellington mayoral candidate Jack Yan doesn't think that's the case.
"It's not what everyone is thinking," he told 3 News. "They've got their facts wrong."
Mr Yan was born in Hong Kong, and moved to New Zealand when he was three years old. He joined in the flood of anti-Henry Twitter posts this morning, writing: "I am more Kiwi than Paul Henry. I chose to be a New Zealander. He takes his nationality for granted, evidently not understanding what it is."
He says as a minority, he has struggled to get coverage for his mayoral campaign, and doubt's he'd be able to get airtime on Breakfast, which Mr Henry co-hosts.
"I don't even watch the show – I'm loyal to the remains of Sunrise," admits Mr Yan. "I was never on the other one – now I know why!"
Mr Henry defended his comments this morning, saying the meaning was clear and he did not regret them.
"I think what I said it obvious. It was but a moment in time," he told the Stuff website.
When asked why he thought Sir Anand didn't look or sound like a New Zealander, he said: "As I say, the comments that I made were perfectly clear, and I have no particular interest in discussing them any further."
"Some people are very easily offended," he said regarding those who may have taken exception to his comments. He also said he had not been contacted by anyone from TVNZ about the comments.
TVNZ might be backing Mr Henry for now, but their staff aren't. Ben Gracewood, Breakfast's gadget reviewer, has quit in protest.
"If anyone wants a gadget/tech commentator for TV, get in touch. I've just pulled out of my Breakfast slot. Final straw," he wrote on his Twitter account.
In a written statement this morning Mr Gracewood said: "Paul Henry's comment made me very uncomfortable as a New Zealander, and I don't wish to associate, or be associated with, people who make such comments. Although I doubt that my actions will in any way influence someone such as Paul Henry, I do not wish to appear to condone his perspectives by my inaction."
This latest verbal clanger comes only days after Mr Henry continually referred to Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit as "Dix-shit", when her name is actually pronounced "Dixit" – a fact of which Mr Henry was well aware, after fellow presenter Peter Williams told him.
"This is as bad as the ‘cheeky darkie’ comment from Paul Holmes," Mr Yan wrote on Twitter. "TVNZ hires some odd people."
Mr Henry previously called Scottish singing star Susan Boyle "retarded" and on another occasion mocked the facial hair of one of his female guests; anti-nuclear campaigner and Greenpeace worker Stephanie Mills.
Mr Yan says the comments are inappropriate, and Mr Henry should be stood down.
"TVNZ will do nothing, they’ll be rubbing their hands with glee and thanking him. It's the 'retard' comment all over again.
"He's essentially a glorified civil servant… He would be severely reprimanded if he was in any other department."
Tweets about the controversy have been almost unanimously critical of Mr Henry. New Zealand-born Chinese comedian Raybon Kan wrote: "Paul Henry asking if our Governor-General is 'even a New Zealander' reminds me of the people who ask to see Obama's birth certificate."
Labour leader Phil Goff said Sir Anand was as much a New Zealander as he was.
"I would rate him as one of New Zealand's best Governors-General. Anand is a person that grew up in this country, understands this country as well as anybody... a fantastic Governor-General."
3 News/ NZPA