Coalition talks pick up pace behind closed doors

"We're working to do it as fast as we possibly can" - Christopher Luxon

With National's potential partners ACT and NZ First finally getting together in Wellington this week, a sense of momentum is building for the trio to form a government. 

Labour's Chris Hipkins meanwhile has survived a vote on his MPs' endorsement of him as leader with Carmel Sepuloni taking the deputy leadership as the party prepares for opposition.

A key player in the negotiations, Winston Peters arrived in the capital this week doggedly determined to say not one word to reporters. 

ACT leader David Seymour took a distinctly different approach, happy to do a number of interviews over the weekend without divulging confidential details.

The man working to entice both of them to make him prime minister, National's Christopher Luxon, has made himself available for select media interviews, while offering very little detail. 

There's plenty all three parties seem to agree on: the repeal of Three Waters, the Māori Health Authority and the Resource Management Act; restoring 90-day workplace trials; a smaller public service; and changes in portfolios like justice and education. 

More tricky could be convincing NZ First about the merits of National's tax on foreign buyers; using funds from the Emissions Trading Scheme for tax cuts; and ACT's proposal for a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi. 

As the week drew to a close and with the three leaders all on Parliament's grounds, negotiations have clearly progressed. On Thursday, Peters visited ACT's headquarters on the precinct - breaking the ice on a previously frosty relationship between the pair. 

Friday saw more of the same, with Seymour returning the favour. Both meetings lasted only about 10 minutes, and there appears to have been no gathering of all three as yet - despite all saying this was likely to happen at some point. 

Read more: 

• Parliament: Current caretaker role to continue until new government formed
• Seymour 'achieved what I wanted' in 10-minute meeting
• Winston Peters, David Seymour meet at Parliament
• Former PM Jim Bolger on ACT's Treaty referendum plan - 'It won't and shouldn't happen'
• Capital gains tax conversation 'back on the table' for Labour - Chris Hipkins
• Māori 'will go to war' over ACT's Treaty referendum, Labour MPs warn

Negotiations are typically conducted behind closed doors, and this is no exception. Peters on Thursday agreed to answer some reporters' questions - but continued to refuse to give details on policy. 

His second-in-command Shane Jones was more free to make the party's position clear during the campaign itself. He said National's foreign buyers tax seemed certain to further drive up inflation and housing costs. 

NZ First had not campaigned on a Treaty referendum, Jones said, but had in the past called for certain references to it should be stripped from legislation and the Waitangi Tribunal's powers constrained. 

So there's some common ground there - but National's Luxon has continued to call the referendum proposal "divisive and unhelpful". Were it to progress, it would also go against the grain of former National Party luminaries like former prime minister Jim Bolger, or former Treaty negotiations minister Sir Douglas Graham. Luxon poured cold water on the idea in August, but left himself some wiggle room - stopping short of completely ruling it out.

Senior Labour Māori caucus members Willie Jackson and Kelvin Davis have both been considering their future in light of the party's election defeat, but the Treaty proposal is one thing motivating them to stay on: Māori were telling them they would "go to war" over the matter if it went ahead. It was just the latest such warning from the left about the civil unrest it could cause. 

All this was spoken against the backdrop of Labour MPs confirming during an all-day caucus meeting on Tuesday their confidence in Hipkins' leadership, with Davis stepping down as deputy leader to make way for outgoing deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni. 

And while it's not changed captain, the Labour ship may be tacking in a different direction on tax - with Hipkins confirming everything was back on the table after the election, including the capital gains and wealth taxes he's previously ruled out under any government he was to lead. 

As for the coalition talks there will be no deal before Sunday - but time is ticking, a fact high on the minds of those chosen by voters to form the next government.

In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Editor Jane Patterson examines politicians' progress towards the incoming government and opposition. 

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