National Party MP Simon O'Connor accidentally told reporters he was "damn straight" a republican this morning, before realising he thought he'd been asked if he was a monarchist.
O'Connor had just faced questions about his run for re-election in the Auckland seat of Tāmaki - with ACT's Brooke van Velden launching a challenge, when he appeared disappointed there were no questions about "loyalty to His Majesty".
In response, one reporter asked if O'Connor was a republican.
"Damn straight," O'Connor answered, before realising his mistake and laughing.
"Oh no! Monarchist. Scratch that. No I'm definitely not a republican, I'm a staunch monarchist."
Asked why, O'Connor said it was because New Zealand had an "amazing and stable democracy because we are a constitutional monarchy".
"You've just seen an incredible change of political system without any bloodshed or stress.
"When you look at a lot of other countries and nations often changes of leaders become very violent.
"Look at what's happening at the moment in Sudan.
"Normally a change from one head of state to another within constitutional monarchy is very quick, swift and peaceful when you look at a lot of other republican countries, it's often quite fraught, very political."
When asked if the New Zealand land wars and colonisation had significant bloodshed, O'Connor agreed but said: "We're not talking about the historical context, we're talking about right here and now."
On Saturday, van Velden announced her candidacy in the Tāmaki electorate, saying she understood some in the electorate, particularly women, were uncomfortable with O'Connor's anti-abortion views.
"I am pro-choice... I am pro freedom... I want everybody in this electorate to feel like they can have choices over those fundamental rights."
Asked today if he believed his positions on topics such as abortion - which had courted controversy from some - would cost him votes in the seat, O'Connor said he didn't think so.
"I don't actually think they're even controversial [views] and people have different opinions, and it's quite ironic that the ACT Party that talks about free thought is actually against opinions they disagree with."
O'Connor apologised in March for a comment in the debating chamber, where he said the Nashville school shooter was not a "white cis male".
At the time, he said once offence to the comments had been brought to his attention he realised he'd "overstepped the mark" and had become emotional as a Christian school had been targeted.
"It was speaking far too soon on a tragedy in another country and it was also weighing into some of the wider cultural talk that we're having here at the moment, which... I think less talk in some ways is better."
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