By Henry Cooke and Laura Walters
Wellington: The next New Zealand government won't be decided by voters - but by a secretive board of volunteers.
Winston Peters, leader of the NZ First Party and election kingmaker, went into the last day of negotiations with both the National and Labour parties, saying he was not favouring either side to form the next government.
NZ Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern, left, and Prime Minister Bill English must wait for NZ First Party to decide who will govern.Credit: AP
While National won the biggest share of the September 23 vote it did not win a mandate to govern outright. Peters now has to choose between a coalition with the incumbent, or a three-way alliance with Labour and its ally, the Greens which could muster a three-seat majority instead of just one.
Whichever way it goes, the decision will not be made until at least Saturday and won't be made by him alone, Peters said.
NZ Labour leader Jacinda Ardern.Credit: Stuff
"I said I'd go into it with a total open mind, and I've asked my caucus and the board to have the same approach... I can honestly tell you I wouldn't take a guess of what anyone is currently thinking."
The comment came on the fifth and final day of meetings by Peters' self-imposed deadline of October 12. Two more meetings were scheduled for late on Thursday.
There would be no meeting between Labour and the Greens on Thursday - leader James Shaw said it was because Labour was "busy".
Peters said he took all nine possible options for a government to his board and caucus.
NZ Prime Minister Bill English.Credit: Stuff
The information presented to the NZ First board and caucus would be analysed, and agreed upon by both sides in each configuration, NZ First and National, and NZ First and Labour.
On his way out of a two-and-a-half hour meeting with National earlier in the day, Peters said his 13-person board and parliamentary caucus would need to meet in person to ratify the decision.
"It depends on the logistic availability of the board, which could be Saturday, Sunday, Monday," Peters said. "People do have to come from all over the country."
Peters said a teleconference wouldn't be satisfactory. "We thought of that, we thought we could circumvent all that by doing by Skype, but that would not be the kind of serious discussion needed."
If Peters decides to go with Labour, there could also be a lengthy process to get the Green Party's sign-off.
He has indicated that allocations of ministerial posts would make up the last section of the talks.
"We're not going to think about offices and positions until we're happy with the policy," he said on Wednesday night.
The NZ First board is not listed on the NZ First website. Its education spokesperson Tracey Martin said wouldn't name board members as they were "volunteers."
Peters himself put out a press release asking for the board's privacy to be respected.
"They are not politicians but New Zealanders who believe in the party and wish to make a contribution to the decision-making process," he said.
"By putting their name forward to serve on the board they do not expect to have their privacy invaded and to become public figures. This privacy extends to all party members.
"New Zealand First values transparency but we also value an individual's privacy especially when they volunteer their services."
However RNZ obtained a full list of the party's 13-member board and published it.
As dictated in the party's constitution it includes party president Brent Catchpole, treasurer Holly Hopkinson, director general Kristin Campbell Smith, vice president North Island Julian Paul, and vice president South Island John Thorn.
There are also six directors and Peters and Mark are on the board.
Nelson NZ First candidate and listed director Susan Sara would not comment.
Peters said on Wednesday night that if he did end up taking more than one option to the board, he would be looking for "serious consensus" before forming a government.
"You don't want to be going to a vote in these matters. You want a serious consensus - if you haven't got a serious consensus then stay there until you get one, but who wants a 50/50 vote?"
Peters said he'd expect higher than 75 per cent of the board consenting.
Getting that agreement meant "everyone gets buy-in, everybody gets responsibility and everybody has authority for what the party's going to do.
Stuff.co.nz