The New Zealand Parliament’s mini-scandal at the beginning of December turned positive: at a charity auction, a signed copy of the Parliament Minutes recording the swearing-in of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was sold for more than NZ$100,000 (25.5 million Hungarian forints). writes bbc.
The incident occurred on December 12, when an opposition politician, libertarian Davis Seymour, asked the Prime Minister to give an example of when he made a mistake, apologized for it, and then corrected it during the parliamentary debate. In her answer, Ardern talked about how many things could be done differently, looking back, but even during Covid, the government acted on its best judgment.
Then, as he took his seat, he muttered a comment not intended by the general public: “What an arrogant prick.”
Unfortunately, with his microphone turned on, he was still able to hear the prime minister’s speech, and even eternity was enriched, as the sentence in the parliamentary broadcast was recorded and transcribed.
In the end, both deputies managed to deal with the unpleasant situation as adults: Ardern apologized to Seymour, who accepted it, and at the same time wished him a happy birthday.
The story did not end there, however, as Seymour approached Ardern soon after with the idea that they both should sign the protocol documenting the letter and put it up for bidding at a charity auction.
Ardern walked in, the minutes were signed, framed and auctioned online.
The winning bidder paid NZ$100,000 (25.5 million HUF) for the lifetime document. The man told a local newspaper that he had to take out a loan to pay for the minutes, but he didn’t mind because “this is an important moment in New Zealand’s political history”.
The money raised at the auction will go to the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation. After the auction, Seymour said he was touched by the kindness of the bidders, “who generously help bars everywhere”. Ardern a in Facebook He also thanked everyone who bid and wished him a Merry Christmas, and with that it seems like the story that went from awkward to beautiful is truly over.
