NZ First still ruling out Opportunity as Jones forecasts 'wicked three years' if no bipartisanship

New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones expects the next government will need to demonstrate greater bipartisanship, warning of a “wicked three years”, but says the party’s rule-out of Opportunity remains for now.

Jones, addressing media on Russell’s sunny waterfront, was speaking in lieu of leader Winston Peters, who sought to avoid media.

When confronted by the Herald, Peters remarked, “I said what I said last night”, referring to his speech in which he said it would be wise to keep one’s counsel until all the votes were counted.

About 399,365 special votes – those cast overseas or out of one’s electorate – are due to be counted as the Electoral Commission undergoes the official count, expected to conclude at the end of the month.

Currently, the coalition parties – National, Act and NZ First - hold a slim majority in a larger Parliament, thanks to overhangs on both the left and the right.

That’s despite Opportunity reaching 6% and entering Parliament, which many commentators thought would give its leader Qiulae Wong the balance of power. At this stage, Labour leader Chris Hipkins can’t form a majority even with Wong’s seats.

Winston Peters made a brief speech as the results were coming in last night. Photo / Corey Fleming

NZ First has about 9.8% of the party vote, which is up on the 6.8% it received in 2023 but down on recent estimates, with some polls in the last few months putting the party at about 14%.

Jones acknowledged the increase after three years but pointed to a “deep dive” the party would conduct into its result.

He offered reflections on his own “combative” style, pondering whether it needed revising.

“The dynamic and the vibe is that there is a genuine thirst for, and I don’t want to sound trite, but hope and optimism and confidence, and people want speedy delivery.”

Jones said voters needed to be reassured that the next government could reach across the aisle for a more bipartisan approach to policy impacting the high cost of living, warning that if governing parties didn’t “park up our pet hates”, it was “going to be a wicked three years”.

Given the slim majority the three parties appear to have, there may be need for an accord with Opportunity, which has said it could work on both sides of politics, to ensure a stable government.

NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones speaks to reporters outside Russell's Duke of Marlborough the day after the election. Photo / Corey Fleming

Throughout the campaign, National leader Christopher Luxon assured voters he would not work with Opportunity but in his speech to supporters last night, he congratulated Opportunity and Wong for overcoming the 5% threshold. Senior MPs including Mark Mitchell and Erica Stanford also indicated National could change its position on Opportunity.

Peters in the campaign repeatedly declared he would not work with Opportunity, which he described as “pinko communists”.

Jones said today that there was “no change in our stance”, but pointed to his leader’s address last night.

“As Winston said last night, let’s just wait until the facts are fully revealed through the final result,” he said, adding that NZ First had campaigned on the three coalition parties returning.

National has been left with no list seats after a low party vote, 29.2%, together with 42 electorate wins with specials still to be counted. That meant senior MPs including Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and Paul Goldsmith are now out of Parliament.

Jones looked to his Northland compatriot Grant McCallum, the National MP who won the Northland seat Jones failed to win. Jones noted how McCallum was considered a great MP but those in the north did not like the party’s “gospel”.

He largely brushed off any suggestion the government would be hampered by the loss of such National Party seniority, saying others within Parliament would have to step up.

Jones pointed to how some in the electorate had believed the Government had been more of a “neutral referee” when faced with immense cost-of-living pressures forcing jobs to be lost and businesses to close, suggesting governing parties should be doing more to “underwrite ongoing jobs and enterprise”.

“I think we’re already heading in that direction to be honest with you,” Jones said, a statement likely to jolt awake any Act Party colleagues this morning.

Michael Laws' future as a NZ First MP is uncertain. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

NZ First now turns its head to an issue which reared its head in the final days of the campaign: candidate Michael Laws and his widely condemned comments about women in Opportunity.

Peters, who has acknowledged that the party is “brassed off” at the comments, said NZ First would hold a board meeting to discuss the matter after the election, claiming not to have enough time beforehand.

Laws was sixth on the party’s list, meaning he will become an MP unless he resigns or is forced from the party. Peters has not speculated on Laws’ future, only saying it remained a “live issue”.

Jones, no stranger to controversial comments landing him in hot water, stuck to party lines when asked about Laws.

“It’s not a matter to be trivialised and people have strong opinions about it but there are bigger issues at stake in terms of the broader expectations of the electorate.”

With a larger share of the vote compared with 2023, both NZ First and Act (up to 10.9% compared to 8.6%) hold more power in upcoming coalition negotiations.

While reticent to reveal any strategy, Jones promised: “That will be leveraged, that will not be squandered”.

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.