By Kate Green of RNZ

One-liners from rugby stars, politicians and a kidnapped cockatoo all feature in the shortlist for Massey University’s Quote of the Year.

Speech-writing specialist Dr Heather Kavan and a panel narrowed down more than 70 nominations to 10.

Previous winners in the annual competition include a jibe from Act leader David Seymour about a potential lamington attack from protesters (“I would have thought that Grant Robertson would be a much bigger threat to lamingtons than lamingtons would be a threat to Grant Robertson”) and three Cyclone Gabrielle heroes' response to being asked if they were in the Navy: “Nah, we’re just three Māori boys.”

This year, the highest number of nominations was for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s comment on the sale of his Wellington apartment, where he referred to himself as “wealthy” and “sorted”.

King Charles shares a laugh and a hug with members of the Black Ferns. Photo / Instagram

Voting closes at midnight on Wednesday and can be done at Massey University’s website.

The nominees are:

• “You’ve got enough room out there for like three rugby fields.” Ruby Tui to King Charles, referring to the Buckingham Palace gardens.
• “Let me be clear: I’m wealthy, I’m ‒ you know, sorted.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on property, the media and success.
• “Hello darling!” Pepper the bird-napped cockatoo identifying herself at the Porirua Police Station with her signature words.
• “Lounging on the couch, eating Maccas and KFC and popping out babies.” Portia Woodman-Wickliffe on retiring after the Olympics.
• “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.
• “Was this a difficult case for me? I think it was a difficult case for everyone.” Crown solicitor Alysha McClintock to reporters after Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne was found not guilty of murdering his wife.
• “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.
• “I felt like he needed the hug more than me.” Ayesha Leti-I’iga on asking King Charles for a hug.
• “If he were in New Zealand, he would be called ‘Fish-and-chip-shopsy.” Jeremy Corbett on the theory graffiti artist Banksy got his name from tagging banks.
• “Kāwana!” “No, don’t do that.” “Ka whakamanuwhiritia au e koe...” Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke before doing a haka in Parliament and Speaker Gerry Brownlee simultaneously trying to keep order.
  Kavan said they would not normally shortlist two quotes from one event, but the Black Ferns meeting the King inspired them to break protocol.

Pepper the cockatoo can say her own name, and often says "hello darling" to Staglands visitors.

And while Luxon’s quote was the most nominated, Kavan said it was often the quiet contenders that surged into the lead – and this year, that could be the quote from Pepper the cockatoo.

At the Porirua station, officers were almost certain Pepper was the missing bird, but it was confirmed when her Staglands carers arrived and she chirped her signature phrase, “Hello darling!”

This year also saw the creation of the Freddie Award, for quotes that made 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 2023: “If there is a mining opportunity and it’s impeded by a blind frog, goodbye Freddie.”

The one-liner inspired this year’s “save Freddie” rallying cry at pro-environment protests, appeared often in the discourse around the Government’s new Fast-track Approvals Bill, and featured in the title of a scholarly article by Professor Jonathan Boston from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.

- RNZ