Election campaign offers feast of quips

It has been strong year for the witty one-liners during the elections. Photos / File

A testy election campaign has given an annual Quote of the Year contest a feast of quips to be put to a vote.

From former Labour leader David Cunliffe's apology for being a man, to an "emotional" tirade from internet Party press officer Pam Corkery, contest holder Massey University says this has been another strong year for the witty one-liner.

But university speech-writing specialist Heather Kavan says that, unlike last year's winning "big gay rainbow" quote from National MP Maurice Williamson, the list for 2014 is marked by less inspirational rhetoric.

She puts that down to the bruising election campaign, which generated many of the top 10 contenders, including Corkery's response to a television reporter's requests to interview internet Party leader Kim Dotcom: "You work in news, you puffed up little shit -- when will you glove puppets of Cameron Slater just piss off?"

Among other short-listed quotes are Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce's "We think it's, um, pretty legal" reference to a National Party election campaign song similar to one by Eminem and "I did not have textual relations with that blogger", a radio host's spoof of a denial by Prime Minister John Key that he had received texts from Slater.

A number of entries related to Nicky Hager's expose book Dirty Politics and Mr Key's dealings with the attack blogger.