“Whatever statements we’ve had on the campaign trail aren’t going to help us work together and solve the problems that people have asked us to solve over the next 1000 days,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast this morning.
“The people have asked us to trust each other…so that’s what we’re going to do.”
National, Act and New Zealand First are going line-by-line through proposals worked up between the parties as a deal appears close to being finalised, with Seymour saying the deputy PM role is being discussed.
Seymour said Act had “partially” got a deal done with National and he was “pretty close” to a deal to take to the board this weekend but it wasn’t certain. But any deal needed to be between three parties.
Asked if Peters was behind the hold-up, Seymour said it would be unfair to blame any particular person.
He expected to meet with NZ First more than once in the coming days, including today.
“We’ve met them just about every day this week.”
Seymour appeared to confirm that the idea of him being deputy Prime Minister had been discussed, but it was one among many options, and he would not go into details out of respect for his negotiating partners.
Leaders finalising agreement details
Extended talks took place yesterday at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland where National’s negotiating team was based. Peters and Seymour arrived for separate meetings in the afternoon after National had had its own discussions.
It was expected today’s schedule would be similar to yesterday, with talks likely to continue in Auckland.
Peters, flanked by his ever-present chief of staff Darroch Ball, spent close to three hours in a room with National leader Christopher Luxon and deputy leader Nicola Willis.
National’s tax plan, which included allowing foreign buyers into the upper end of the housing market, and Act’s Treaty of Waitangi referendum had been regularly cited as points of contention between the future governing parties.
Also understood to be an issue was the structure of the deal struck between the three parties. National had largely been negotiating and developing agreements with Act and NZ First separately, instead of one agreement locking in support from all parties.
Seymour, who entered his meeting about 5.30pm alongside Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden and third-ranked MP Nicole McKee, said he felt the parties were on the “cusp” of a deal but cautioned reporters, reminding them he could not speak for Luxon and Peters.
“The parties have to cross-check different deals, the parties all have to go back and check with their stakeholders, the board.
”Those are things that have to happen and could take a couple of days. But in terms of getting the substance done, I think we’re in a good place.”
Unlike NZ First, Seymour said there had been discussion with National about ministerial posts alongside remaining policy hurdles.
He added a three-party coalition was his preferred arrangement but indicated other arrangements had been discussed.
”I think in a lot of ways it would be the best arrangement with all three parties who are in a coalition but I’m just one and I can’t dictate what the others do, so that’s a question I can really only answer on behalf of Act.”
Seymour emerged two hours later saying the deputy PM role was being discussed and he believed a deal could be inked by Sunday.
It was Seymour’s expectation that Act would be inside Cabinet and he suspected NZ First expected the same.
He was optimistic a deal could be reached by Sunday.
“I still believe it’s possible this week.”
National MPs Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and Simeon Brown, along with party president Sylvia Wood, were not included in the meeting and waited in the hotel lobby.
However, Peters did make the effort to shake their hands on leaving the Cordis.
Peters adamantly hosed down speculation he had stood both Luxon and Seymour up by not travelling to Wellington on Tuesday when it was expected the three leaders would meet.
He claimed he had rescheduled flights after Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had called to arrange a meeting in Auckland following his attendance at the Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga.
Luxon, who spent eight minutes speaking with media yesterday morning, said any suggestion Peters was sending a message to the two other leaders by his no-show in Wellington was “absolute rubbish”.
Peters also revealed he and representatives of Act had met daily over the past five days, but said little except that the meetings were “very positive”.
Of talks with National, Peters said they were “positive” but “hard work”.
“There’s always been progress every day despite what you guys write and the reality is it’s going with the greatest of speed possible,” Peters said.
“This is normal and when we’ve got the facts all sorted out and agreed on, we can announce the results.
“Anything else in between time, of course, is to divulge private information which just breeds distrust.”
