New Zealand
Minutes of parliament with “ass” remark auctioned off for $100,000
Use their faux pas for a good cause: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right) and ACT party leader David Seymour
© DPA
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the opposition ACT boss Seymour an “arrogant ass” last week. The Minutes of Parliament have now been auctioned off for more than $100,000.
A verbal slip-up by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern surprisingly went to a good cause: The signed transcript of a heated exchange in parliament fetched more than $63,000 (around 59,200 euros) at an online auction on Thursday. During last week’s exchange of blows, Ardern described her opponent David Seymour as an “arrogant asshole”.
She didn’t expect such a turn after the “faux pas with the old microphone in Parliament,” Ardern wrote in online media. The proceeds will go to the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.
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A microphone had recorded Ardern muttering the insult as she returned to her seat. Seymour then asked the Speaker of Parliament for an apology from the Prime Minister – so her remark had to be recorded. Seymour later came up with the idea of using the episode as an opportunity to work together for a good cause. According to him, Ardern immediately agreed.
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Both politicians then signed a copy of the protocol, which was framed before the auction. “The interest was greater than expected,” Seymour told the AFP news agency. He only expected a fraction of the auction price.