Pace picks up in play for power
Talks aimed at forming a new government may be further advanced than the slow pace of Beehive action suggests.
Substantive face-to-face talks started on Sunday with a meeting at midday between NZ First and National and discussions then got under way between NZ First and Labour at 3pm as many commentators questioned whether NZ First leader Winston Peters’ selfimposed deadline of Thursday may be too tight.
On his way to the Labour meeting Peters briefly stopped to tell media he had ‘‘precisely nothing to say about these meetings at all until they are completed’’. Asked whether there was anything he could say about what was discussed in the meeting with National, Peters said, ‘‘not that we’re talking about now, no’’.
On the special vote count taking two seats off National, Peters said it was ‘‘rather important to wait and that’s a fact’’. That was after he said reporters had ‘‘made fools’’ of themselves speculating up until Saturday. Earlier Peters said the 21⁄ hour meeting with National had gone ‘‘fine, thank you very much’’. The parties met briefly last week to agree on how the talks would proceed but Peters and Labour were keen to wait until after Saturday’s return of special votes. Labour and the Greens picked up one seat each and National lost two seats, strengthening the Left bloc but still leaving both sides reliant on NZ First to form a government.
But a source said party spokespeople had been ‘‘reaching out’’ to their counterparts to open discussions ahead of the formal talks while another insider said there had been ‘‘frenetic activity’’ behind the scenes.
That included a previouslyreported eight-hour NZ First caucus on Wednesday that spilled over into Thursday. On Saturday the Green and Labour leadership held talks in Auckland.
There have also been instructions within the two big parties for key MPs to prepare for talks by identifying areas of agreement and major sticking points.
Peters has said he will announce his choice on Thursday, when the formal election result, or ‘‘writ’’, is returned.
His choices could include a full coalition deal, support on key confidence and supply votes or the option of sitting on the cross benches and abstaining in those key votes. The latter would leave National in power but having to negotiate issue by issue on all votes in Parliament.
The NZ First team consisted of Peters, deputy Ron Mark, MP Tracey Martin, chief of staff David Broome, adviser Paul Carrad and staffer Kirsty Christison.
The only change to the Labour team from last week was the substitution of former deputy leader Annette King for Sir Michael Cullen, who is overseas. The others were Jacinda Ardern, Kelvin Davis, Grant Robertson and senior staff members Mike Munro and Neale Jones.
The National team was made up of Bill English, his deputy Paula Bennett and senior MPs Steven Joyce and Gerry Brownlee along with chief of staff Wayne Eagleson.
Bennett was a change from last week’s lineup.
Both main party leaders will be vying to make an offer Peters cannot refuse without abandoning their core principles.
It is expected he will be offered the foreign affairs role and deputy prime minister as well as his passion, the racing portfolio.
After special votes were counted on Saturday, Labour and the Greens gained one seat each, meaning a National/NZ First coalition would reach 65 seats while Labour/Greens/NZ First would get to 63 seats - a majority with two votes to spare.
National announced earlier this year it would raise the retirement age to 67 in 2030 but Peters is expected to make it a condition of any deal that the age stays at 65.
Peters is set to build on his legacy SuperGold card, extending it from public transport to a fullfledged e-wallet providing discounts on doctors’ visits and eye tests, and perhaps even power bills.