Whether or not the three-party grouping was the configuration they had wanted, it was what the voters had chosen.
“In an election in a democracy, the will of the voter is king and queen. And that’s what we respect and work to.”
NZ First MP Shane Jones wouldn’t elaborate on how today’s meeting went.
“All those remarks have to flow from our rangatira [Winston Peters],” he told reporters.
“Those matters are above the pay grade of Mātua Shane Jones.”
He also said the progress of negotiations “was all in the Bible”, saying: “Have patience. I know people may be anxious. But it’s all in the Bible, Galatians 6:9.”
That verse is “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Asked whether NZ First was hoping to secure a regional infrastructure fund in the coalition deal, Jones encouraged people to look at the party’s manifesto.
He would not be drawn on whether the party would agree a coalition deal if it included Act’s proposed referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi.
“Look, those matters are all in the mix of the negotiation and I haven’t had any contact with David Seymour about such matters, but I respect the fact that that’s what they campaigned on.”
He didn’t say more “for fear of having my tongue cut out”.
The two parties had their first meeting yesterday afternoon in Act’s offices at Parliament.
It was a brief 20-minute meeting, which Seymour later said was a “great chat”.
More in-depth talks are likely to discuss their joint approach to National as the agreements are put together.
Issues both sides are keen to discuss include how detailed the agreements should be and issues on which the two might take a united stand.
One item is likely to be co-governance: both Act and NZ First have stronger positions than National, although National opposes co-governance in the public sector.
Peters was giving nothing away when he arrived for this morning’s meeting, which was in a select committee room near NZ First’s offices.
The three party leaders are not believed to have met together yet, although that could happen later today. National leader Christopher Luxon is still in Wellington.
Last night, NZ First’s negotiating team of Peters, Jones and chief of staff Darroch Ball had another round of talks with National, after their earlier talks on Wednesday.
Earlier yesterday, National met again with Act.
On his way into Parliament this morning, Luxon said negotiations were “progressing well”.
He was reluctant to give much away but appeared positive.
”There is a lot more work to do but we are getting there,” he said.
”There is good intention from all the party leaders to make sure we move through as quickly as we can and build a strong, stable government.”
He declined to answer questions about whether there had been a meeting yet involving all three parties, nor about any details of negotiations. “I am not getting into any of that.”
He also declined to say how long he thought the negotiations could take and if any deal was close.
But this morning Seymour told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that negotiations were “down to brass tacks” and were at the 80-metre point of a 100m dash.
Earlier this week, he said talks were progressing well and the parties were close to having a draft agreement.
Seymour described last night’s meeting with Peters as “congenial and promising”.
“We have got to figure out how to work and operate together for three years and I think it is going to go well,” he told Hosking.
But he said the “real challenge” for the incoming Government was dealing with “the mess” left by the last Government.
“The next three years is going to be a challenge for New Zealand.”
He expected “hand grenades throughout the Government’s books”, such as pay parity for nurses that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Asked if there was still a chance a party could pull out of negotiations and sit on the cross benches, Seymour hinted that talks were past that point.
Hosking asked if the parties were working as hard as they could to form a government. Seymour said he “worked past midnight last night, so I am”.
