Quote of the Year opens for voting

The list was put together by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University speech-writing specialist Dr Heather Kavan and a panel who narrowed down over 70 nominations, from comedic one-liners to heartfelt utterances.

The public has until midnight on 18 December to vote for their favourite, and the winner will be announced before Christmas. Cast your vote on the Massey University website here.

Kiwi athletes overseas

This year’s nominations included many quotes from sports stars. These ranged from speed climber Julian David showing his Instagram followers his mattress at the Olympic village to the Black Ferns meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

“Usually we don’t include more than one quote about a single event, but the Black Ferns’ encounter with the King inspired us to break protocol,” Dr Kavan says.

The chosen quotes are Ruby Tui’s comment to King Charles that the palace garden was big enough for three rugby fields and Ayesha Leti-I’iga’s reflection on asking the King for a hug ‒ she thought he needed it more than she did.

King Charles appeared to enjoy the conversation, disclosing that the Buckingham Palace garden is covered with goose droppings and that he once got a broken nose while playing rugby. He described the group hug as “very healing.”

‘Wealthy and sorted’ is a favourite

The highest number of nominations was for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s declaration that he is “wealthy and sorted.” Luxon made the remark in an interview with Heather du Plessis-Allan about the sale of his Wellington flat. The words did not land as he intended, sparking amused public reactions and allegations of tone-deaf leadership, earning him the nickname ‘Mr Wealthy and Sorted.’

Despite the high number of nominations for Prime Minister Luxon’s quote, it is often the quiet contenders that surge into the lead, Dr Kavan says. This happened last year when a quote from Cyclone Gabrielle rescuers overtook the highly nominated “Up the Wahs!”

The cockatoo

This year’s quiet contender may be a quote from beloved cockatoo Pepper, who was bird-napped from Staglands Wildlife Reserve. Pepper was sold to an unsuspecting man, who, on learning about the theft, brought her to the nearest police station.

At the Porirua station, officers were almost certain Pepper was the missing bird, but she was initially tight-lipped. However, when her Staglands carers arrived, she chirped her signature phrase, “Hello Darling!” - confirming her identity. Staglands owner Sarah Purdy said Pepper’s excitement was clear as she continued saying “Hello Darling!” and other phrases throughout the night.

The Freddie Award

In addition to the public vote, Quote of the Year has a new category: the Freddie Award for quotes that make their splash in a year after they were said.

The award was sparked by a remark Resource Minister Shane Jones made in Parliament in December last year: “If there is a mining opportunity and it’s impeded by a blind frog, goodbye Freddie.”

The one-liner might have been forgotten (or frog-otten) but it inspired this year’s ‘Save Freddie’ rallying cry at pro-environment protests and even featured in the title of a scholarly article by Professor Jonathan Boston of Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.

The top 10

1. “You’ve got enough room out there for like three rugby fields.” Ruby Tui to King Charles, referring to the Buckingham Palace gardens.
2. “Let me be clear: I'm wealthy, I'm ‒ you know ‒ sorted." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on property, the media and success.
3. “Hello darling!" Pepper the bird-napped cockatoo identifying herself at the Porirua Police station with her signature words.
4. "Lounging on the couch, eating Maccas and KFC and popping out babies." Portia Woodman-Wickliffe on retiring after the Olympics.
5. “What the hell is this? Look what I’ve been sleeping on the whole time!” Speed climber Julian David looking at his unusual mattress at the Olympic village.
6. "Was this a difficult case for me? I think it was a difficult case for everyone."  Crown solicitor Alysha McClintock to reporters after the Polkinghorne ‘not guilty’ verdict. 
7. “I hate those symbols and salutes, but I quite like knowing who the idiots in society are.” David Seymour on people who use Nazi symbols and salutes.
8. "I felt like he needed the hug more than me." Ayesha Leti-I’iga on asking King Charles for a hug.
9. “If he were in New Zealand, he would be called 'Fish and Chip shop-sy.” Jeremy Corbett on the theory that graffiti artist Banksy got his name from tagging banks.
10. "Kāwana!” “No, don’t do that.” “Ka whakamanuwhiritia au e koe ….” MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke before doing a haka in parliament and Speaker Gerry Brownlee simultaneously trying to keep order.

Vote for your favourite quote of 2024 on the Massey University website.