The signed transcript of the moment Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called ACT leader David Seymour an "arrogant prick" in Parliament has been auctioned off for a whopping $100,100.
The Trade Me auction, which received 282 bids and 6136 people watchlisting it, finished on Thursday afternoon. All proceeds will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, with Trade Me waiving its listing fee.
Reacting to the final auction price, Ardern said on Thursday: "Can't say I expected this."
"A faux pas with the old mic in parliament has turned into $100,100 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. My thanks to David for being a good sport and to everyone who placed a bid. And to everyone, Merry Christmas."
Seymour also thanked Ardern for being a "good sport".
"When I suggested this to her at the Press Gallery party last week she got it immediately, agreed, and followed through," said Seymour.
"I thought we would make the most of Jacinda's comment and raise some money for a good cause, in the spirit of Christmas. I have been blown away by the kindness of bidders who are helping pricks everywhere with their generosity."
He said the Prostate Cancer Foundation deserves the money for the "amazing practical and scientific work they do".
"I'm glad we could deliver them an early Christmas present that will save lives. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Kiwi men and the third highest cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer and bowel cancer.
"The beauty of the fundraiser was that it could appeal to anyone. People who dislike me, people who like me, people who dislike Jacinda and people who like her but most importantly people who hate prostate cancer.
"It has been a very Kiwi way to fix what might have been nasty. I hope the money raised can contribute to a better 2023 for many Kiwi men."
A bidding war erupted earlier this week over the political momento, with the price doubling from about $50,000 on Saturday to $100,000 on Monday. A bid on Wednesday afternoon took the item to its final price of $100,100.
Despite only going up for auction last week, the framed transcript signed by the two leaders was on Wednesday named the most popular Trade Me listing of the year and the sixth most-viewed auction in the website's history. It received 436,000 views.
The "arrogant prick" comment was made by Ardern in Parliament last Tuesday.
After answering a question from Seymour, Ardern sat down and was caught on a hot microphone making the remark. She text him afterwards to say sorry and formally apologised in Parliament the next day.
The comment went international, with media outlets from around the world reporting on it. That included the BBC, the Guardian, the Daily Mail and Cosmopolitan magazine.
"We wanted to be able to say that 'we're helping pricks everywhere' and the prostate is about as close as we could get," Seymour told Newshub last week.
"We managed to have a laugh about it [and] hatched a plan to raise some money for a good cause."
