Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins' slip of the tongue has narrowly beat a toddler's quip about a goat to be named Massey University's Quote of the Year.
Hipkins' "spread your legs, not the virus" gaffe was made during a Covid-19 media conference in August, and soon saw Twitter users posting photos of themselves and their pets spreading their legs, with the quote even being printed on mugs.
The runner-up with 38.4 per cent of the votes - 0.5 per cent behind Hipkins - was a video of a Christchurch two-year-old who remarked, “No, it’s a f***ing goat!” in response to seeing a goat in their garden. Her mother responds, “It’s just a goat", to which the toddler responds, “No, it’s a f***ing goat!”
The top two quotes were neck and neck throughout the polling, which had a record 8296 votes cast, Massey University said in a media release.
Speech writing specialist and competition organiser Dr Heather Kavan said the quotes' popularity, even within the first hours of voting, can be attributed to its offering of light relief during the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Almost immediately, Hipkins’ gaffe became a rallying cry to ‘Spread your legs, not the virus,’ and the toddler’s goat quote became an internet sensation.”
It's not the first time a slip of the tongue by a politician has won Quote of the Year. In 2018, then-Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges beat top New Zealand comedians to the top spot after accidentally referring to deputy Paula Bennett as 'Paula Benefit'.
In third place, with 13.8 per cent of the vote, was Jemima Gazley's "If I can't be cured, I'll be the cure". The 14-year-old was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer in February, and spent her last weeks crowdfunding to help Australian researcher Dr Matt Dun find a cure.
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