Social media was abuzz on Thursday night following a suggestion the Greens had met and decided to cut Labour adrift to try to form some sort of deal with National.
Labour Party deputy leader David Parker was of the impression when interviewed in Dunedin by the Otago Daily Times the Greens had not ruled out dealing with National.
He seemed convinced of the prospect of Labour being abandoned by the Greens and was urging people to party vote Labour to change the government.
''The election result is on a knife edge and it all comes down to Winston [Peters] and he won't reveal his hand either way.''
New Zealand First was on 8.1% in the Herald-DigiPoll, meaning the party led by Mr Peters would have 10 MPs in Parliament after the election.
Mrs Turei said in an interview an announcement in June said the Greens preferred a coalition with Labour, while remaining a fully independent party. And it was ''highly unlikely'' it would be in a government led by National.
The release of Nicky Hager's book Dirty Politics had changed the Green view of National and there was no way she could work with a party of extremists.
''The issue has been the Greens are doing well and Labour has not been doing so well. But we can still change the government if we take an MMP approach.
"We have led the Opposition all last term, we are the strongest party for new ideas and plans to implement them. That's why we need a new government.
''There is a fine line between having a Labour-led government and a National-led government.''
Asked how a party vote for the Greens would help change the government when Labour continued to poll poorly, Mrs Turei said Labour had been better than National in the past, but it still had not significantly changed direction in the last 30 years.
The country was in the mood for a change of direction and a change of government, she said.
The Greens were the only party offering change for child poverty, clean rivers and providing opposition for deep sea oil drilling.
''This is not blue versus red. It's about a different direction for the country, something that hasn't happened in the last 30 years.''
Labour leader David Cunliffe earlier ruled out dealing with the Maori Party or Internet Mana, but Mrs Turei was happy to deal with those parties, New Zealand First and any others in Parliament because that was what MMP required of politicians.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia had told Maori voters to give their party vote to the Greens if they could not vote for the Maori Party.
''She understands the Greens are the strongest other party other than the Maori Party on issues dealing with Maori.''
In 2008, the Greens reached a memorandum of understanding with the National-led government which achieved $400 million of spending, the bulk of which was on insulation.
In 2011, the Greens' paper put to National was soundly rejected, Mrs Turei said.
Like Mrs Turei, Mr Parker believed the election result was on a knife edge but he believed a change of government could only come by voting for Labour.
''We are double the Greens in the polls.''
Labour had ruled out dealing with the Maori Party because the MPs had supported National for six years.
Mr Parker believed the blow torch should be turned on to Conservative Party policies.
The Conservatives wanted a tax-free threshold on the first $20,000 of earnings.
That would mean either cutting spending on superannuation or health.
