New Zealand PM Jacinda Adern swore at her rival in parliament. They came to 'a very Kiwi resolution'

Political rivalry is always dramatic, intense and some of us love to watch those heated debates on television. Healthy competition is necessary for any government to function and New Zealand is leading the way by showing how one can settle their differences with grace. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the leader of the libertarian ACT party, David Seymour, had a bit of an intense week this month when Ardern was caught calling Seymour "an arrogant pr**k" by the parliament microphone.

According to Independent, the Kiwi leader lost her cool when Seymour repeatedly grilled her in front of the New Zealand parliament, including asking for an "example of her making a mistake, apologizing for it properly, and fixing it." Responding to the question, a visibly agitated Ardern said: "We've always made decisions which we believed to be in the best interests of NZ at the time." Following the comment, she resumed her seat and could be heard muttering: "Such an arrogant pr**k."

Her statement was broadcasted on Parliament TV when she sat down after the back-and-forth, but most MPs in the House missed it. However, it was picked up by the official transcript of the debate and is now a part of the parliamentary record. It reads, "[Prime Minister resumes seat] He's such an arrogant prick." Ardern has since apologized to Seymour for her words and they seem to have put it all behind them in the best way possible.

The two set aside their political differences and signed a copy of the Hansard (New Zealand's official report of debates in parliament) page that officially registered the remark on December 15, 2022. According to Newshub, the signed page has since been placed in a white frame for auction, the proceeds from which will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Seymour said: "It's a very Kiwi resolution to what might be seen as a nasty incident. In the spirit of Christmas, we are going to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation - raising money for pr***s everywhere." He also revealed that he and Ardern "wanted to be able to say that 'we're helping pr***s everywhere' and the prostate is about as close as we could get."

Ardern's office previously told reporters that she apologized to Seymour for her comment. "I'm absolutely shocked and astonished at her use of language," Seymour said at the time. "It's very out of character for Jacinda, and I've personally known her for 11 years. And she couldn't give a single example of when she's admitted she's wrong and apologized. Jacinda Ardern text me [sic] and said, 'I apologize. It's not something I should have said.' And she said, 'As my mum would say, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all.' I agree with the sentiment, and it's all good."

The oddball piece of New Zealand political history will be up for auction until December 22 at 11:05 a.m. The bid has reached $50,000 as of Thursday.