From Marmite sandwiches to adult nappies - voting opens to find NZ’s quote of the year
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Politicians under pressure, the country’s most successful high jumper, an award-winning film-maker and some frustrated and frank conservationists are among the finalists in Massey University’s annual quote-of-the-year competition.
A panel have whittled down the nominations to 10 finalists for the public to decide.
Voting is open and runs until midnight on Monday, December 15. People can vote on the Massey website.
Politicians from across the spectrum dominated this year’s list and the quick quips did not disappoint.
In March, exasperation over the school lunches saga drove Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to respond with “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,” while speaking on Newstalk ZB.
Later in the year, debate about New Zealand’s stance on Palestinian statehood led to two of this year’s top 10 quotes.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick told Parliament in August: “If we find six of 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history.”
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Radio New Zealand in September she would not be meeting with the six Anglican and Catholic priests who chained themselves together outside her Johnsonville office in solidarity with Palestinians.
“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.”
New Zealand’s first Olympic-gold-medal-winning high jumper Hamish Kerr continued to make the country proud with his achievements on the field and his humility off it.
In February, he told broadcaster Paddy Gower: “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.”
In September, he came achingly close, winning the gold medal at the world athletics championships with a personal best of 2.36 metres.
In award-winning film-maker Taika Waititi’s acceptance speech for the Norman Lear Achievement Award at the Producers Guild of America in February, he continued his career-long mission for deeper understanding and acknowledgement for Indigenous cultures.
“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.”
The top 10 quotes:
“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.” - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, in response to media coverage about the school lunches programme.
“If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's not looking good, is it?” - Public Service Minister Judith Collins, in response to the Independent Police Conduct Authority report into police handling of complaints against former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming.
“They’re killing our native birds and not shagging them.” - Matt Bailey, organiser of the North Canterbury Hunting Competition, when asked if trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats would be better than culling them.
“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.” - Olympic gold medallist Hamish Kerr on Paddy Gower’s podcast The F#$%ing News.
“If we find six of 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history.” - Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick speaking at Parliament in August during a debate on Palestinian statehood, leading to her being ejected from the house.
“I know he’s the prime minister, I made him the prime Minister.” - Foreign Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, when questioned by reporters over why he didn’t consult with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon over the sacking of former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Phil Goff, following his comments about United States President Donald Trump.
“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.” - Film maker and actor Taika Waititi during his acceptance speech for receiving the Producers Guild of America Norman Lear Achievement Award.
“Turns out you can have it all. So long as you're prepared to be a c…. 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.” - Journalist Andrea Vance in a Sunday Star Times column skewering the Government’s abolishment of ongoing pay equity claims, which inspired MP Brooke Van Velden to be the first person to say c… in Parliament.
“Wildlife doesn't have brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers to call the police if something happens.” - Department of Conservation prosecutor Mike Bodie at a court hearing for a South Korean man who was caught trying to smuggle rare geckos out of New Zealand.
“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.” - Finance Minister Nicola Willis after a group of six priests chained themselves together outside her office, calling for sanctions on Israel.
The judging panel said this year’s selection of quotes were snapshots of the national mood, reflecting bigger conversations happening in New Zealand.
The competition, now in its 14th year, was founded by Dr Heather Kavan, who died in December 2024.