David Seymour has picked "quality human being" Chlöe Swarbrick as his marriage partner in a cheeky game of 'kiss, marry or kick' - while also giving potential coalition partner Winston Peters a kick.
Appearing on The Project on Monday night, the ACT leader was tasked with playing a round with the options of New Zealand First leader Peters, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and Green Party MP Swarbrick.
"The thing is I normally would say kick Winston Peters because that's how you put New Zealand first," Seymour said.
"However I've actually got a slight cold at the moment so you've got to consider him for the kiss... no I think we'd go with the kick.
"We'll give the kiss to Chris Hipkins because you've got to feel a bit sorry for the guy. And you've got to marry Chlöe because despite our considerable differences that you may have seen on the AM show this morning [Monday], I do think she's a quality human being."
Rewind to last week when it was Peters' turn to appear on the show and play 'kiss, marry or kick' - where to audible gasps he chose to kiss Seymour.
"I guess that'd be a way of getting some second-hand smoke," Seymour joked in response.
A dramatic Newshub-Reid Research poll on Monday showed ACT slip down to single digits, on 8.8 percent. With National down too to 39.1 percent, the two parties could only muster 60 seats.
Seymour was asked if the poll result is a disaster so close to the election.
"People out there are saying 'look New Zealand's got some big challenges to overcome, especially with the economy, who can we trust to make sure we get a Government that doesn't just change things but makes that change real'," he responded.
"Just changing one Christopher for another and red for blue, that's probably not going to do it. But ACT and National together can deliver real change."
However it wouldn't just be ACT and National together. Their 60 seats would be one shy of the 61 they need to form a Government - so enter Peters, with the poll giving him six vital seats and the kingmaker crown once again.
Given Seymour is so willing to give his potential coalition partner Peters a kick, how stable would a National-ACT-NZ First Government be? Well, the Newshub-Reid Research poll showed 63 percent of Kiwis think it would be chaotic.
"I think it reinforces for people that if you're concerned about the economy, you think things are less safe than they used to be, and you just feel New Zealand's become more divided, how do you get real change?" Seymour asked on The Project.
"You need a stable and united partnership. If you look at what ACT and National are both saying, they're both saying it's a strong preference to work with each other."
That's a second kick at Peters.
