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Christopher Luxon's leadership is on the line as he prepares to front a do-or-die meeting with his National Party caucus in Wellington this morning.
Luxon called the urgent in-person meeting on Tuesday amid speculation that he's losing his grip on the leadership.
Most MPs arriving in Wellington last night threw their support behind their leader.
But Erica Stanford - who is tipped as a possible leadership contender - didn't say a word to reporters.
Asked whether she has confidence in Luxon, Stanford did not reply.
The New Zealand Herald earlier on Wednesday morning reported that a source linked to National said MP Chris Penk had been involved in a possible leadership challenge on behalf of Stanford, doing her numbers ahead of the emergency caucus meeting.
However, Penk has since denied making phone calls on behalf of Stanford, saying he would vote in favour of Luxon retaining his position if a vote was held.
"Everyone else needs to get their story straight. There are multiple different versions, none of them are true.
"I'm not prepared to disclose private conversations except only to say I have confidence in Christopher Luxon," Penk said.
Senior minister Chris Bishop has previously denied plotting a challenge, insisting late last year that Luxon remained the best person to be Prime Minister.
He dismissed the suggestion there were phone calls on Monday about the National party leadership, saying he talked to caucus members "all the time about a whole range of different things".
"Yesterday was a Cabinet day, so you know clearly there were conversations between ministers and between MPs."
Bishop said it was "unhelpful" MPs were speaking to media and encouraged his colleagues not to.
On Wednesday morning former National MP Simon O'Connor said a change in leadership could well happen.
He said the situation was “on a knife's edge”.
"I think it's really possible ... it's 50/50 though, I myself am relying on what's been reported."
O'Connor says ambition and Luxon leaving the door open after admitted missteps had ultimately led to this morning's urgent meeting.
National's campaign chair Simeon Brown on Wednesday morning said he wasn’t feeling “100%” today, but had still come to Wellington for the meeting.
He said he supported Luxon, adding that the PM had the confidence of the caucus.
Issue ‘needs to be resolved’
Luxon wrote on social media on Tuesday, after postponing various prior arrangements, that it was "clear from various media reports and conversations there is increased speculation about my leadership".
"It is my firm belief that division and disunity are a major distraction only 90 days out from the election.
"I also believe this distraction is unfair to the New Zealand people, and dedicated National Party candidates, supporters and volunteers, when there is so much at stake."
For those reasons, he wrote, the issue "needs to be resolved quickly".
It is unclear whether he will call for another confidence vote in himself, just four months after the last one when word of a potential coup hit the media.
The Prime Minister last week endured days of mishaps and missteps and started this week inadvertently talking about three taxes his National party may introduce if back in government after the November 7 election.
He and his deputy Nicola Willis had called a news conference on Sunday to put pressure on Labour to sign up to its Budget responsibility rules, yet by his Monday morning media round, Luxon was instead explaining that a fuel excise tax, bed tax and bank tax would be on the table under a future National-led government.
— additional reporting Allied Media
