Green Party leader James Shaw says voters have shown they want change

Green Party leader James Shaw is still hoping to see a change in government. Photo / Nick Reed

The Green Party's leader is still hoping to see a change of government, saying most voters have shown they want change.

Talking to Newstalk ZB's Andrew Dickens this morning, James Shaw said a Labour, Greens and New Zealand First coalition Government was still an option.

Shaw said last night's election results had been a mixed bag, but were probably the best he could have hoped for.

"If you look at the people who have voted for parties of change - the opposition parties, we have 61 out of 120 seats," he said.

"I think a majority of people have voted for change."

Acknowledging the government would be decided by the kingmaker, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, an optimistic Shaw said he could work with Peters calling the "hatred" between the two parties "overblown".

"He doesn't talk to us much, but then he doesn't talk to anyone much," Shaw joked.

Shaw remained confident the Greens would be the Labour Party's first choice in trying to cobble together a coalition, saying he had a good working relationship with leader Jacinda Ardern and personally trusted her.

"We said we would speak today, so I'm anticipating that."

When asked whether the Greens would consider working with National, Shaw said he would take a call from English as a courtesy.

"[But] everybody who voted for us voted in the full knowledge we were trying to change the government, so he would be asking for us to betray those votes."

The Green Party won 5.9 per cent of the votes last night, securing seven seats in Parliament.

Their support dropped significantly after former co-leader Metiria Turei admitted to historic benefit fraud, eventually stepping down from her position following an intense backlash.

Last night's result meant several MPs would not be returning to Parliament after the election and Shaw acknowledged he was sad to be losing "some really good colleagues" while also speaking of his excitement for newcomers like Chloe Swarbrick.

"I'm really delighted about Chloe," Shaw said this morning.

"Her defining feature that everyone talks about except her is her age."

At 23, Swarbrick will be New Zealand's youngest MP in 42 years.

"The other one of course is we're waiting for the overseas and special votes [for] is Golriz Ghahraman."

Ghahraman is number eight on the Greens' party list and would be New Zealand's first refugee MP after fleeing Iran with her family in 1990.

Shaw said he was feeling confident that special and overseas votes would earn the party one more seat, enough to bump Ghahraman in.