Trust, respect key to talks with Peters: Ardern

Jacinda Ardern. Photo NZ Herald
Jacinda Ardern. Photo NZ Herald
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern believes she has the edge over National in terms of a relationship with New Zealand First and will deploy her deputy, Kelvin Davis, in negotiations with leader Winston Peters, saying trust and respect is critical for a stable coalition government.

Ms Ardern has confirmed Labour's talks with NZ First and the Green Party will be led by herself and Mr Davis but is yet to name her full negotiating team.

It is also likely to include former MPs who worked with Mr Peters in the last Labour government, such as Sir Michael Cullen.

While National's Steven Joyce said policy concessions rather than personalities would secure a coalition, Ms Ardern believed a relationship was important.

She said she respected and trusted Mr Peters and could offer ''a good working relationship with our senior MPs''.

''Relationships are important in these negotiations and I'd like to think that we have the existing relationship required to take forward a good negotiation and form a stable, credible, long-term coalition government.''

Ms Ardern has ordered her front-bench MPs to look at how Labour's policies match up with NZ First's and the Greens', saying while serious negotiations may not happen until after the special votes are counted, all parties need to be prepared to try to deliver a new government to New Zealand quickly.

Asked if she would tolerate any attempt by Mr Peters to cut out the Green Party, Ms Ardern gave an ambiguous answer:

''I think we need to go into these negotiations accepting they carry at the moment 6% of the vote. They are bringing that vote to the table and it needs to be respected.''

Ms Ardern said she had already met Green leader James Shaw about the process for negotiations but was yet to speak directly to Mr Peters.

On Monday, her chief of staff, Neale Jones, contacted Mr Peters' office to advise she was ready to meet.

She did not know when that might be.

Mr Peters will have a meeting with his caucus in Wellington today.

Asked if he would be willing to step aside as deputy prime minister for a coalition partner, Mr Davis said his priority was getting Ms Ardern into the prime minister's role.

''If it has to be, it has to be.''

National's team will include leader Bill English, Gerry Brownlee and Todd McClay, who took Mr Peters with him on a trade trip to Europe earlier this year.

Mr Peters labelled Mr English's summation of him as a maverick as ''not a very smart thing to say''.

Mr English said he was not worried about that reaction.

''I've known Winston Peters a long time.

''In fact, 27 years we have been in Parliament together - longer than pretty much anyone else in the building.

''You'd expect some differences of opinion, but I think I have always been clear I understand his role, given the result of the election.''

Mr Joyce described his role as ''making the tea''.

He said he got on fairly well with Mr Peters, despite reports to the contrary.

National's deputy leader, Paula Bennett, is not expected to be in the negotiating team for National.

Ms Bennett said it would not bother her giving up the role of deputy prime minister to make way for NZ First.

She denied her exclusion from the negotiating team was because of any suspicion she was involved in the leak of Mr Peter's superannuation payment details, saying it was simply because she did not really know him well.

She again denied she or her office leaked Mr Peters' NZ Super details.

Former Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons will return to help the party in its post-election negotiations.

The party yesterday announced its negotiating team for talks with Labour and NZ First as they try to hammer out a deal to change the government.

Co-leader James Shaw and MP Eugenie Sage will lead the Greens' negotiating process, along with acting chief of staff Tory Whanau, co-convener Debs Martin and campaign committee member Andrew Campbell.

The party will also get support from a reference group, which will include former co-leader Ms Fitzsimons and other senior members.

-By Claire Trevett

Comments

The Labour policy programme was rejected on the night by 64% of the electorate. I don't think they have the mandate to ram through all those pro Union policies per their 100 day pledges. If MMP is working properly then Winston will dampen down Labour's more ideological driven policy.