Coalition partner Winston Peters says he should have been warned ahead of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's leadership vote this week.
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Luxon said there had been intense media speculation about his position, and yesterday's ballot in caucus would put things to rest.
It was a secret ballot with anonymous voting. While successful for Luxon, he refused to take questions about it afterwards, or say if it was unanimous.
"I have the support of my caucus as their leader. Caucus has answered clearly and decisively. It has backed my leadership, and that matter is now closed."
Luxon said if media continued to ask him about "speculation and rumour" he would not engage.
"In plain ambit of human relations and cooperation, the answer is of course, yes."
Peters, whose parliamentary career began in the 1970s, said it was an "unprecedented" move from a sitting Prime Minister, and not one he supported.
"Because you see, you can tell when the next one's going to happen. Not initiated by himself, but by others, and just wait for the next round of polls. And that's the sad thing.
"I mean, this is unprecedented... there are going to be consequences. They're seriously predictable consequences. But what I was astonished by was that they didn't seem to understand, sadly, what they were doing.
"And here we are, part of the coalition, where stability of government all the way to the 2026 election and beyond is the critical component. And this is not helpful."
Asked if he was essentially telling the National Party - which unlike NZ First has been sliding in the polls - to get its act together, Peters said: "Well, you've phrased it that way, but I don't disagree with you."
Peters said a leadership spill would not have voided the NZ First-National coalition agreement, but that it would need to be "reshaped" - and warned National MPs against trying it again.
"You don't sit here with all your responsibilities without looking at possible scenarios playing out and looking at every alternative. And if it's like an octopus, the decision-making conclusion's like an octopus with eight legs - you better understand all eight possible legs, not just three of them, five of them… You've got too many people with too little experience giving their views about what the outcome should be. That's tragic.
"And I can go back to a former time when leadership lasted far longer because parties realised, 'Hang on, we've got to this point, we have to stay solid with our first decisions rather than changing like a yo-yo,' which you've seen in New Zealand in recent times."
Peters said it was important the government get back to the basics of governing "as fast as possible".
"Our job is to provide stability for the New Zealand people who are fighting petrol price rises, fuel price, supermarket, power pricing. That's what New Zealanders are concerned about."
