Quote of the Year

Timeline

2025

Winner

Finalists

1. "If you are unhappy with it, for God's sake, go make a Marmite sandwich and put an apple in a bag just like you and I had.” — Christopher Luxon
2. "If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's not looking good, is it?” — Judith Collins
3. "They're killing our native birds and not shagging them.” — Matt Bailey
4. "The next goal is to jump 2.40m as that's quite a key height, and also because it'd be kind of cool to be able to jump over a ceiling.” — Hamish Kerr
5. "If we find six of 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history.” — Chlöe Swarbrick
6. "I know he's the Prime Minister, I made him the Prime Minister.” — Winston Peters
7. "Thank you so much for believing in Indigenous stories and believing they could be more than just brown people standing on a mountain playing a flute talking to ancestors.” — Taika Waititi
8. "Turns out you can have it all. So long as you're prepared to be a c…t to the women who birth your kids, school your offspring and wipe the arse of your elderly parents while you stand on their shoulders to earn your six-figure, taxpayer-funded pay packet.” — Andrea Vance
9. "Wildlife doesn't have brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers to call the police if something happens.” — Mike Bodie
10. "I will not be setting a precedent that the way to get a meeting with me is to don an adult nappy and chain yourself to a door.” — Nicola Willis

    2024

Winner

Finalists

1. "You've got enough room out there for like three rugby fields" Black Fern Ruby Tui to King Charles referring to the Buckingham Palace Garden.
2. "Let me be clear: I'm wealthy, I'm ‒ you know - sorted." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon discussing the sale of his flat in Wellington.
3. "Hello Darling!" Pepper, a Cockatoo that was stolen talking to police in Porirua.
4. "Lounging on the couch, eating Maccas and KFC and popping out babies" Portia Woodman 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 not guilty verdict in the Polkinghorne trial.
7. "I hate those symbols and salutes, but I quite like knowing who the idiots in society are." ACT Party leader David Seymour on people using Nazi symbols and salutes.
8. "I felt like he needed the hug more than me." Black Fern 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." Comedian Jeremy Corbett on the theory that graffiti artist Banksy got his name from spray painting banks.
10. "Kāwana!” ; “No, don’t do that.”; “Kāwana, ka whakamanuwhiritia koe e au….” Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke before performing a haka in the House of Representatives and Speaker Gerry Brownlee trying to maintain the order of the house.

2023

Winner

Finalists

1. "I don't listen to rumours. I just start them." — Taika Waititi
2. "I encourage all of you to go out there, have more babies if you wish, that would be helpful." — Christopher Luxon
3. "A B-grade American celebrity coming out and essentially hijacking Bird of the Century. I don’t think he even likes birds." — Erin Reilly of Save the Kiwi.
4. "Nah, we’re just three Māori boys." — Mikey Kihi, Rikki Kihi, and Morehu Maxwell
5. "How big is his hole?" — Nicola Willis
6. "You can be a mother, or not, an ex-Mormon, or not, a nerd, a crier, a hugger – you can be all of these things, and not only can you be here – you can lead." — Jacinda Ardern
7. "There is nobody who fails to be interesting" — Kim Hill
8. "Up the Wahs!" — Fans of the Warriors.
9. "The issue is rain. We really need that to stop." — Auckland mayor Wayne Brown.
10. "Oh, have you got ID?" — Auckland bar manager

    2022

Winner

Finalists

• "They said nobody cared about women’s rugby. Well guess what? We are here! We are here, fam !" — Ruby Tui
• "If only we cared as much about the local elections as we do for Bird of the Year." — Nicola Toki
• "Fundamentally, I'm interested in being a good person with as minimal inconvenience as possible." — Alice Snedden
• "I would have thought that Grant Robertson would be a much bigger threat to lamingtons than lamingtons would be a threat to Grant Robertson." — David Seymour
• "Do you know how bad that sounds? Mike King’s women's alliance!" — Shimpal Lelisi
• "I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age." — Jacinda Ardern
• "I was born to disrupt things." — The Wizard of New Zealand
• "It's okay to follow a few cockwombles. It doesn't mean I endorse them." — Hilary Barry
• "He is delusional, but he’s not suicidal." — Professor Robert Patman
• "There are going to be a lot more people in a supermarket on a weekly basis than there will be out and about pashing on a dance floor." — COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins

  2021

Winner

Finalists

• "It is a challenge in high-density areas for people to get outside and spread their legs." — Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins
• "He is about as exciting as the Taihape public toilets." — Mike Williams
• "It was like a half-sucked Oddfellow in the sky." — Mark Richardson
• "If I can't be cured, I'll be the cure." — Jemima Gazley
• "That was a bed-time fail." — Jacinda Ardern
• "We've got an economy that's running on a sugar hit." — David Seymour
• "Does anyone know if the tinny house in Aro will be open during level 4?" — person on a Facebook post
• "Who is going to do a Berocca in the morning?" — Anna Lorck
• "Hey Judith, it's not that bad. Raise an eyebrow, to show you're glad." — Jono and Ben
• "No, it's a f***ing goat." — Toddler

  2020

Winner

Finalists

• "Because we can't get on each other's nerves if we're dancing constantly." — Buchanan family
• "When my eyebrow goes up, it's a joke." — Judith Collins
• "I am the orange face you can trust." — Orange-fronted parakeet
• "There are no new cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand today." — Ashley Bloomfield
• "The Aussies can have Russell Crowe, but they can't have our buzzy bee." — Simon Beattie
• "Let it be known these tears are not for you." — Sara Qasem
• "I did a little dance." — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
• "You're on mute" — New Zealanders during Zoom meetings.
• "Put your jazz cabbage away people." — Hilary Barry.
• "It really highlights how three-ply soft we've become as a species." — Psychology professor Marc Wilson