There will be anguish, says Peters
Winston Peters says he’s aware whatever decision NZ First makes in coming days it will cause ‘‘disappointment and anguish’’.
The NZ First leader posted on his Facebook page yesterday thanking the public for their ‘‘continued interest’’ and said the party was working towards a decision ‘‘as fast as we can’’.
‘‘For obvious reasons we cannot talk publicly of what we have discussed at this stage. We are all sworn to secrecy to ensure we have frank and open discussions.
‘‘You will all know as well as us that whatever decision we make it will cause disappointment and anguish. That’s reality and there is no escaping that,’’ Peters said.
When the choice is made about the next government it would be done in the ‘‘greater interests of this country and its future’’, he said. ’’We want the best for our country.’’
Speaking to the media after his second meeting of the day with Labour, Peters said he posted the comments because they were a ‘‘fact’’.
‘‘It’s not anything other than sharing with them that we’re seriously working on the various policies that other parties have got that may be relevant or may not be relevant to our final decision. But whatever that decision is we know it will disappoint some people, that’s just a fact,’’ he said.
Asked whether he was feeling a lot of weight on his shoulders, he said ‘‘all my colleagues do and so will the board’’.
Peters said he was feeling fine given the early starts and late finishes over the last few days – ‘‘I’m used to it, I came off a farm.’’
NZ First was to meet National last night for the final meeting of the day and then start again at 9.30am today.
Peters expects to meet with both National and Labour twice today and the NZ First board is on standby for when a decision is made by the caucus.
He wouldn’t comment on how much policy the parties had got through other than to say there was a ‘‘fair way to go yet’’.
‘‘Other parties are still reporting back to us and vice versa as to the things we’ve had discussions on, we’re comparing notes and costings and things so we just can’t make that sort of judgment at the moment,’’ he said.
Ardern and her team emerged from their second bout of negotiations just after 6pm, a twohour stint that she also characterised as ‘‘positive’’.
‘‘Another positive meeting, we continue to work through policy priorities for both parties – really constructive and we’ll be meeting again tomorrow,’’ she said.
But Ardern would not answer questions over Greens leader James Shaw’s comments or how Labour’s talks with the Greens – in parallel with NZ First’s negotiations – were progressing.
Shaw said his team tried to strike up a relationship with NZ First but Peters had no knowledge of it.
Shaw told media following an almost two-hour meeting with Labour that his staff had contacted Peters’ office to say they were available for a meeting if they wanted one.
But Peters’ was unaware of it when he answered questions after a more than 21⁄ hour meeting with the National Party negotiating team.
‘‘I’m not aware of that ... I have no knowledge of that being requested of me at all.’’
Peters said he’d been clear from the beginning he would have talks with both National and Labour and he hadn’t ‘‘deviated from that’’.
He didn’t think it was necessary to sit down with Shaw given the Greens and Labour had a memorandum of understanding and had campaigned together.
‘‘We didn’t campaign with any other party, the rest did. For months and months, in fact for years, they’ve all campaigned together – hugging each other, embracing each other and loving each other. We didn’t.’’
Peters maintained the party would still be in a position to make a decision about the next government by tomorrow.
Shaw said he was happy for Labour to take the lead on negotiations because it had always been the process that the bigger party did so.
Asked if there was to be a coalition would he sit down with Peters, Shaw said ‘‘at some point I assume you’ve got to get in a room together with the people you’re going to go into coalition with’’. However, he said it’s ‘‘Labour’s responsibility to put the government together, that’s their job and they seem to be doing a pretty good job of it’’.