The country may currently be at a stalemate, waiting on NZ First and Winston Peters, but there were some other big moments in Election 2017.
July 2: Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei admits committing benefit fraud in the 1990s.
August 1: Jacinda Ardern becomes Labour leader after Andrew Little stands down.
August 7: Green MPs Kennedy Graham and David Clendon quit over Metiria Turei's continued leadership.
August 9: Metiria Turei quits as co-leader.
August 15: It's revealed Labour MP Chris Hipkins asked questions in parliament about Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's New Zealand citizenship. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she'd find it difficult to work with a New Zealand Labour government as a result.
August 21: United Future leader Peter Dunne retires from politics.
August 27: NZ First leader Winston Peter admits being overpaid superannuation for seven years.
August 31: Opinion poll puts Labour ahead of National for the first time in 12 years.
September 3: National deputy leader Paula Bennett says some Kiwis have fewer human rights than others, later says she misspoke.
September 4: National's finance spokesman Steven Joyce accuses Labour of having an $11.7 billion fiscal hole in their budget but Labour and economists disagree.
September 5: The Wall Street Journal compares Jacinda Ardern to Donald Trump on immigration.
September 10: Poll shows Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell has a big lead over Labour challenger Tamati Coffey in Waiariki.
September 13: National MP Jian Yang admits teaching English at an elite Chinese spy school.
September 15: Documents reveal MFAT didn't provide the government with legal advice on the risk of being sued by Hamood Al Ali Al Khalaf in the lead up to the Saudi sheep deal.
September 18: Farmers protest in Morrinsville, Jacinda Ardern's home town, against Labour's water tax proposal.
September 23: Election day. National wins 58 seats, Labour 45, NZ First nine, the Green Party seven and ACT one. Maori Party and United Future are out of parliament.
September 24: Kingmaker Winston Peters says his party will make a decision after special votes are counted.
October 2: Bill English and Jacinda Ardern speak to Winston Peters on the phone.
October 4: The first preliminary coalition talks between NZ First, National and Labour happen.
October 7: National loses two seats, Labour and the Green Party pick up one each as official results are released.
October 8: Formal negotiations begin between NZ First, National and Labour.
October 12: Winston Peters expected to make a decision that will be announced "as soon as possible after Thursday".
- NZN
The flight was on its way to Auckland when it was forced to return to Christchurch.