When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was caught on a hot microphone using a vulgar word to describe a rival politician, it seemed the nation’s political discourse was taking an ugly turn heading into an election year.

But Ms Ardern and her target, opposition MP David Seymour, agreed on a plan to make good.

They both signed an official parliamentary transcript of Ms Ardern’s comment and auctioned it for charity.

The auction closed on Thursday with a top bid of more than $NZ100,000 ($94,000).

“Can’t say I expected this,” Ms Ardern wrote on social media this week.

“A faux pas with the old mic in parliament has turned into $100,100 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

“My thanks to David for being a good sport and to everyone who placed a bid.”

After five years as prime minister, Ms Ardern faces a tough election campaign in 2023.

Her liberal Labour Party won re-election two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.

Ms Ardern’s comment had come after Mr Seymour, who leads the libertarian ACT party, peppered Ms Ardern with questions about her government’s record for about seven minutes during Question Time.

After sitting down, Ms Ardern, as an aside, said to her deputy “he’s such an arrogant p—k”.

Her words were barely audible on Parliament TV but were picked up in the background.

Ms Ardern later sent an apologetic text to Mr Seymour. In turn, he said he was “shocked and astonished” at her language, which was out of character.

Mr Seymour suggested the auction idea to Ms Ardern at an end-of-year party with journalists and she agreed.

The auction – billed as “Ardern, Seymour join forces for pricks everywhere” – was held on the New Zealand website Trade Me and attracted more than 280 bids.

Prostate Cancer Foundation chief executive Peter Dickens thanked the politicians for their “classy” reaction.

He said the money was a huge boost after a hard year during which normal fundraising activities were curtailed by the pandemic.

“We’ve been overjoyed and amazed all the way through the journey of this auction,” he said.

“It’s made more than we ever could have imagined.”

Mr Dickens said the money, equivalent to 10 per cent of the organisation’s annual budget, would go to a range of services including free counselling and support groups.

He said prostate cancer was New Zealand’s most diagnosed form of cancer and older men should get a simple blood test to enable early detection.

“Just a little prick could save a life,” he said.

-AAP