National, NZ First, Act Party coalition talks: Negotiations concluded, official sign-off tomorrow
The coalition negotiations are over and an official signing will take place tomorrow, according to a joint statement from National Party leader Christopher Luxon, Act leader David Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters.
In the statement, the leaders said: “Negotiations to form a government that will deliver for all New Zealanders have concluded.
“The parties are now going through their respective party processes for final sign-off and we expect that process to be completed this evening.
“Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament.”
An impasse over who will take the Deputy Prime Minister’s role was resolved earlier today.
However, it remains unclear what the outcome of the decision on the deputy PM role is.
The Deputy Prime Minister post was one of the last sticking points in the talks. A source said earlier it was now resolved and the final deals were “extraordinarily close” but there were still some drafting and re-writing changes to make.
Once Act, NZ First and National all agree to their agreements, NZ First and National will have to run them past the party boards for final approval. Act leader David Seymour has already run the main elements of his agreement past his board, saying that met the requirements under the party’s constitution.
However, the Act caucus will need to meet on it.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER THE LIVE BLOG
Seymour promises negotiations were worth the wait
Bailey Brannon
Act leader David Seymour told Newstalk ZB he promised it was worth the wait.
"I think Act has got a very strong policy agenda as part of what will be our shared policy agenda."
He would not say whether he would be the deputy Prime Minister's job.
He said the agreements were clear on what the ministerial portfolios were.
He said Act's board had already been consulted on the details, and had endorsed the agreement.
Seymour said he hoped NZ First's board would also be happy and able to sign it off.
"If you look at what we are taking on, it's quite daunting." He said the ministers had to hire staff quickly and meet their government department CEOs, and get set up quickly. "I also recognise we've reached the bottom of a pretty big mountain."
'Thank you for your patience'
Bailey Brannon
He said that was why he had been so disciplined about following the process of building a relationship, working out the policies, working out a way to manage conflicts and dispute, and finally sorting out the ministerial portfolios.
"We are genuinely excited."
He expected Parliament to resume on 5 December "and we intend to work pretty hard from 5 December right up to Christmas."
He said Act and NZ First "had a sense" of what ministerial portfolios they had had.
They would move offices into the Beehive over the weekend, so that they could start work on Monday.
He said thank you to New Zealanders for their patience.
Bailey Brannon
The formal announcement had to wait until tomorrow to allow time for the parties to go through their ratification processes.
He said the deal was finally clinched earlier this morning.
He would also speak to MPs who would be ministers and hoped to have a swearing-in ceremony on Monday, so the government could get going.
He was "absolutely confident" that there would be no last-minute de-railing of the agreement.
He said the three leaders had got to know each other well. "For me, it's very important that there is a relationship, there is chemistry, so we know where we're each coming from."
Incoming Prime Minister pleased to announce conclusion to negotiations
Bailey Brannon
Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is pleased to announce the parties have completed their negotiations.
He said after the parties ratified them, he would go to the Governor General to ensure he had the necessary majority to govern.
That could happen tonight, ahead of the formal release of the agreement tomorrow.
He would not go into any details about what those agreements entailed, saying they were "incredibly comprehensive" and included ways to manage conflict.
He said they were very specific, and that was deliberate. He said under MMP every party had to make concessions, but there was a lot of alignment around the goals.
Luxon expected to outline his Cabinet later tomorrow, after the signing.
Bailey Brannon
Official signing for new Government to take place tomorrow
Bailey Brannon
Negotiations to form a government that will deliver for all New Zealanders have concluded.
The parties are now going through their respective party processes for final sign-off and we expect that process to be completed this evening.
Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament.
The coalition negotiations are over and an official signing will take place tomorrow, according to a joint statement from National Party leader Christopher Luxon, Act leader David Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters.
Luxon is expected to speak to media briefly at 4.45 pm
In the statement, the leaders said "Negotiations to form a government that will deliver for all New Zealanders have concluded.
The parties are now going through their respective party processes for final sign-off and we expect that process to be completed this evening.
Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament."
Jones has emerged from NZ First Offices but sheds no light on progress of deal
Bailey Brannon
Shane Jones has re-emerged from the NZ First offices but has shed no light on the progress of a deal.
“Cone of silence, cone of silence,” he said.
When asked about Peters’ indication that the role of Deputy Prime Minister had been finalised, Jones’ only response was to hand reporters a Cherry Ripe chocolate bar and a bag of plant powered, naturally flavoured energy balls.
'You're not gonna nail me down': Winston Peters says coalition no longer in negotiations
Vera Alves
NZ First leader Winston Peters as emerged to speak to the media now - asked if a deal had been reached, Peters said if that was the case he would have said so. However, he also said the parties were no longer negotiating and that he did not disagree with Seymour’s assessment that a deal could be finished today.
Peters told journalists this afternoon that the coalition is "well on the way to forming a very sound and stable government".
He said he was not trying to be difficult, but there were some people who needed to be updated before he could make public statements on the deal, who could not attend the NZ First caucus meetings today.
"You're not gonna nail me down, this is not my first rodeo," he said. "We've been very careful to make sure we get it right."
He appeared to rubbish the suggestion he and Seymour could be co-deputies for the deputy Prime Minister’s position.
“We’ve never had a co-deputy Prime Minister ever. Why are we starting an argument there? We’ve never had one in this country, why would you say that’s the case?”
He did not answer when asked if he was the Deputy Prime Minister.
'Extraordinarily close': Parties understood to have settled Deputy PM issue
Vera Alves
An apparent impasse over the Deputy Prime Minister's job has been resolved, the NZ Herald understands, but it remains unclear what the outcome is or whether a final deal has been agreed to.
Once Act, NZ First and National all agree to their agreements, NZ First and National will have to run them past the party boards for final approval. That can happen fairly quickly, but means the full announcement of the deal is unlikely until tomorrow.
One source said it was now "extraordinarily close" but there was still some drafting and re-writing changes to go through.
One of the last sticking points was over the role of Deputy Prime Minister and there has been speculation that the parties have been looking at a co-deputy model, or splitting the role over the next three years so both Act leader David Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters serves it consecutively.
It is understood the parties have now settled on the outcome. Seymour had previously said that he had a claim to it, given his party was larger than NZ First. However, it also remains possible he has ceded it to Peters in return for some more significant portfolios.
This morning, National Party leader Christopher Luxon had arrived at Parliament saying he believed the deal was close after further work on it last night, and he had some further phone calls to make.
The NZ First caucus is in Wellington, other than Casey Costello who is campaigning in Port Waikato. The Act caucus has also been holding fairly regular online caucus meetings, and will have to meet to be consulted on it.
'Our leader's on the way, only he gives the korero' - Shane Jones
Vera Alves
Winston Peters has arrived back in Wellington and made his way into a meeting with fellow NZ First party colleagues.
Deputy leader Shane Jones arrived first, but declined to comment to waiting media, saying "our leader's on the way, only he gives the korero".
But Peters was in no mood for a korero, despite beaming as he boarded his flight from Auckland earlier today.
He made his way through the media throng without saying a thing, avoiding questions about whether he's agreed to share the deputy prime minister position with Act Party leader David Seymour.
Winston Peters arrived at NZ First's HQ in Wellington without saying a word
Vera Alves
Winston Peters rushes out of Wellington airport
Vera Alves
Peters then ducked through a small gap between some seats and Christmas trees.
He refused to answer multiple questions about whether he was the next Deputy Prime Minister.
His normally jovial mood in recent weeks through negotiations had vanished as he stormed through the terminal.
As Peters left in a taxi, he accused media of spreading lies about he and his party, but did not specify what lies he was referring to.
Winston Peters lands in Wellington, refuses to speak to the media
Vera Alves
NZ First leader Winston Peters has barged through media upon his arrival at Wellington airport, declaring that no interviews would take place.
He attempted to dodge the waiting press pack, while repeating his assertion that he wouldn’t talk to media.
It led to the backwheeling group of reporters and camera operators crashing into members of the public in the airport lounge.
Editorial: What Luxon can do if he can’t make the wheels of governing turn faster
Vera Alves
With the Government being formed justweeks from the Christmas break, its “100-day plan” will need to be modest enough to be executed in a compressed timeframe.
Vera Alves
Winston Peters boarding his flight to Wellington
Vera Alves
NZ First leader Winston Peters has boarded his flight to Wellington, accompanied by chief of staff Darroch Ball. Peters was seen smiling as he was recognised by passengers aboard the flight.
'Forty days and 40 nights, the Book of Exodus': Shane Jones gets biblical, hands out chocolates
Vera Alves
Shane Jones has arrived at NZ First's offices in Parliament, handing out chocolate bars to journalists - including one called Pay Day, and a Pinky.
Asked if Peters' travel meant that a deal was finally in the offing, Jones reached again for a biblical quote.
He pointed out it had been 40 days since the election - "Forty days and 40 nights, the Book of Exodus. Up the mountain, a covenant emerged and the Commandments were written."
Winston Peters heading to Wellington right now
Vera Alves
Winston Peters has boarded a flight to Wellington this morning.
Peters said very little as he went to the departures area of the airport. Asked if he was heading to Wellington he said "take a wild guess."
He did not respond to questions about whether a shared deputy Prime Minister's role was on the table.
Roger Partridge: Real work begins for the Government
Vera Alves
Coalition negotiations between National, Act and New Zealand First were never going to be easy. And so, it has proved.
But, with a new Government about to be sworn in, the really hard work lies ahead, writes Roger Partridge.
'It’s partly Seymour Street': David Seymour 'pretty happy' with coalition talks
Vera Alves
Act Party leader David Seymour has hinted a job-share arrangement could be in the offing for the deputy Prime Ministers’ role, saying “it’s partly Seymour Street, but we’ll see where we get up to at the end.”
Speaking on his way into Parliament today, Seymour was asked if a shared deputy Prime Minister option was in the offing.
“Look, it could well be. It depends what’s going on in negotiations and I can’t pre-announce or reveal exactly how those negotiations are going.
“But lots of people put lots of options on the table, and I’m sure that at least one of them will end up being the final deal.”
“In a negotiation, you explore every avenue to try and reach consensus.”
Asked what avenue was looking most likely, Seymour said “oh look, it’s partly Seymour Street, we’ll see exactly where we end up at the end.”
When it was pointed out that sounded as if he had got the deputy job, he said that could be “a little bit of over enthusiasm, possibly involved in breakfast cereals.”
However, he did say he was happy with where things were at.
Asked if he’d be happy to share the role with Peters, he said he could not get into the exact working of it. “But what I do know if that if there’s going to be a deal like that, that’s one of the possibilities that’s been floated. But there could well be totally different ones too.”
He said he saw no reason a deal could not be concluded today, but until it was signed on the dotted line “I’m just another guy saying ‘I hope it happens soon.’”
He said that he was “pretty happy” about where things were at, without getting into the nitty gritty of the discussions.It remains unclear whether Peters would tolerate sharing the role.
He said he hoped Winston Peters would arrive in Wellington today. He said the shape of the whole Cabinet was important at this stage, not just the deputy Prime Minister’s role.
Peters has just arrived at Auckland airport.
Clock ticking for Nicola Willis to deliver mini-Budget
Vera Alves
Time is running out for the new Government to put together a mini-Budget before Christmas as promised.
'Progress has been made,' Simeon Brown says (again and again)
Vera Alves
'Recipe for confusion': Peter Dunne says role of deputy PM should not be split
Vera Alves
Retired politician Peter Dunne told Mike Hosking he thought David Seymour had a stronger argument for becoming deputy prime minister over Winston Peters.
"You can't have two people sitting on one seat, you could have two deputy prime ministers but one is always going to be more senior than the other."
"That's where I think David Seymour has got a point, he has the larger party of the two so therefore by right he's got a premier claim to the role to than Peters, but it doesn't always work that way."
"I think that having two could be a recipe for confusion."
"I think we're getting an insight into how the government might function once its finally formed."
"If it's going to be this sort of stand-off mentality on resolving issues, then it doesn't look very promising." (edited)
"Whatever the policy agreement is, it's going to be the mechanics of how it works in practice that will be the test for most people."
"People will forget quickly how long it took to put together, if it's seen to be a cumbersome, awkward arrangement then that's a long-term problem for the government right through its term."
"If it's seen to move smoothly and cooperatively, then they're off to a good start."
Winston Peters will be in the lead in discussions - Jim Bolger
Vera Alves
Former prime minister and National party leader Jim Bolger says Winston Peters will be in the lead in discussions over who should be deputy prime minister in the incoming government.
The NZ First leader’s extensive experience in Parliament gave him the leading edge over Act leader David Seymour, who is “still learning the job”, Bolger told TVNZ’s Breakfast this morning.
Christopher Luxon’s team was relatively inexperienced which would make Peters’ experience valuable, he said.
Bolger formed a coalition government with Peters in 1996 after two months of negotiations.
He said MMP would always leave some people disappointed about policies that did not proceed.
Bolger - who oversaw significant Treaty of Waitangi settlements during his time in power - said it would be “totally wrong” to hold a referendum on the treaty, as proposed by Act.
“The Treaty is our founding document…I think it would be a huge mistake,” he said.
“There are many, many issues that we have to deal with as a country, as a community, as a society. And the last thing you want to do is start off by dividing them - because referendums do divide.”
Luxon’s approach to coalition talks had been calm, sensible and professional, which suggested "he’ll be a calm, thoughtful prime minister,” he said.
And he believed the three parties could last the entire three-year term in coalition.
“They’ll have disputes over policy from time to time but that happens in every government.”
New Zealand’s political stability lowest since financial crisis as coalition talks drag on
Vera Alves
Long coalition negotiations from the new Government have seen a major economics consultancy downgrade its perception of New Zealand’s political stability to its lowest rating in more than a decade.
Read the full story below.
Christopher Luxon 'optimistic' for coalition deal today
Vera Alves
National Party leader Christopher Luxon had not managed to close his coalition deal overnight, but was optimistic it would happen today, saying there was still some work to do but a deal was “really close.”
Arriving at Parliament this morning, Luxon said he had last spoken to Act leader David Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters last night – but there was no deal as yet.
“At the moment, we’ve got a little bit of work to do this morning and then hopefully we’ll be in a good place. I’m talking to the leaders, another couple of conversations this morning and hopefully we’ll have it closed out.
"We’ve done a lot of other work last night, but we’ve just got a couple of telephone calls to make and should be in good shape.”
Act leader David Seymour and Luxon arrived back in Wellington last night and NZ First leader Winston Peter is expected today – however, it’s understood that could depend on whether Peters is happy with the final deal, including the outcome of the late talks around the deputy Prime Minister position.
Asked if he was confident Peters would turn up in Wellington today, Luxon said he did not want to get into that.
“We’re gonna make some telephone calls, keep working hard. We’re very, very close and we’ll continue to close it out.”
Luxon would not say if it was still the deputy PM role holding things up, but acknowledged it was one of the issues in the closing stages. He would not say if a co-deputy option was on the table, saying it would all become clear when announcements were made.
Vera Alves
It's been 40 days since election day in New Zealand and incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has hinted that coalition talks are close to finished.
Join us for live updates as we await an announcement on the next NZ government.
STORY CONTINUES
The Banquet Hall in Parliament appears to have been set up in anticipation of that announcement, including a table with three chairs behind it and a line of New Zealand flags.
There has been speculation that the parties were looking at a co-deputy model, or splitting the role over the next three years so Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters serve consecutively.
Those options were not ruled out by Luxon or Seymour this morning. This morning, Luxon had arrived at Parliament saying he believed the deal was close after further work on it last night.
“We’re very, very close and we’ll continue to close it out.”
The NZ First caucus is also in Wellington, other than Casey Costello who is campaigning in Port Waikato. The Act caucus has also been holding fairly regular online caucus meetings, and will have to meet to be consulted on it.
NZ First leader Winston Peters arrived in Wellington at midday, saying nothing to reporters as he arrived.
However, it is understood the parties have now settled on the outcome for ministerial positions, including deputy Prime Minister.
Seymour had previously said that he had a claim to it, given his party was larger than NZ First. However, it also remains possible he has ceded it to Peters in return for some more significant portfolios.
Earlier today, Seymour was asked if a shared deputy Prime Minister option was in the offing. “Look, it could well be. It depends what’s going on in negotiations and I can’t pre-announce or reveal exactly how those negotiations are going.
“But lots of people put lots of options on the table, and I’m sure that at least one of them will end up being the final deal.
“In a negotiation, you explore every avenue to try and reach consensus.”
Asked what avenue was looking most likely, Seymour said “oh look, it’s partly Seymour Street, we’ll see exactly where we end up at the end.”
When it was pointed out that sounded as if he had got the deputy job, he said that could be “a little bit of over enthusiasm, possibly involved in breakfast cereals”.
However, he did say he was happy with where things were at.
Asked if he’d be happy to share the role with Peters, he said he could not get into the exact working of it. “But what I do know if that if there’s going to be a deal like that, that’s one of the possibilities that’s been floated. But there could well be totally different ones too.”
He said he saw no reason a deal could be concluded today, but until it was signed on the dotted line “I’m just another guy saying ‘I hope it happens soon.’”
He said that he was “pretty happy” about where things were at, without getting into the nitty-gritty of the discussions.