Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this morning MFAT and the NZ Government had been working hard over the past several months to “ensure the safe exit of two New Zealanders from Iran”.

She said she couldn’t give much more detail but said Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite had exited the country and that it had been “particularly difficult” for them.

Ardern wouldn’t go into detail about where they were detained other than to confirm the Government had been working hard to ensure their safe exit.

“I do think we should allow the family and the couple to speak to themselves.”

She said she felt “great relief” upon learning of their exit from Iran.

She wouldn’t comment on the circumstances that led the pair to be detained.

Asked whether she would now condemn Iran more strongly, Ardern believed she had been “very clear” in the condemnation of what had been occurring in Iran.

 “If you are a New Zealander considering travel [to Iran], don’t go and if you are there, come home,” Ardern said.

“We cannot guarantee your safety and as this example demonstrates it can lead to very difficult circumstances.”

Ardern wouldn’t give details beyond confirming the couple was safe. She also wouldn’t confirm when they would be coming back to New Zealand.

• NZ couple detained in Iran for four months, now released

“I’m delighted they’re safe.”

Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite went missing in Iran while traveling the world and documenting their adventures for 300,000 followers on Instagram. Photo / Supplied

According to MFAT, there are 19 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Iran. It’s understood many of them have dual citizenship for both New Zealand and Iran.

An MFAT spokesperson confirmed three messages had been sent to the 19 individuals in Iran since protests began, the first on September 27, the second on October 6 and the most recent one this morning.

All three messages warned about the protests and provided advice about what to do. The last two messages also included the recommendation to leave the country.

Asked if the situation influenced her comments regarding Iran, Ardern said the Government had been “absolutely clear” on our position on Iran and the inability of women to make choices on their own behalf.

“We have of course at the same time, had a difficult set of circumstances for two New Zealanders, we’ve worked very hard to make sure that we put our values front and centre at the same time looking after interests of New Zealanders on the ground.”

Asked why MFAT requested media not publish details of the couple’s situation, Ardern said there were several examples of when foreign nationals had come under difficult circumstances in Iran and that the Government and MFAT had worked hard to take on the “best possible advice” to prioritise their safety.

“The fact that they have been able to depart I think speaks to the fact that that was the right strategy.”

Soon after speaking with media, Ardern went live in a video on Facebook where she again pushed back against any suggestion that the Government’s position on Iran had softened in light of two New Zealanders who had been detained there for several months.

“It did not. Of course, we have shared our condemnation. At the same time, we have had also a duty of care to try and ensure that those New Zealanders were able to exit Iran. We’ve worked very hard to do both,” she said.

“I wanted to make sure that while I still had the opportunity to connect directly just to share a little bit more about what’s been happening, the multiple things that we’ve been trying to manage within that situation in Iran.”

Ardern outlined her sadness at the plight faced by women in Iran, contrasting it with the recent gender equity achieved in New Zealand’s Parliament yesterday with the swearing-in of new Labour MP Soraya Peke-Mason, who replaced the outgoing Trevor Mallard.