D-day? NZ First 'getting closer' to decision

NZ First leader Winston Peters and his MPs are meeting at Parliament this morning - with a decision on the next government expected to be reached today.

That does not necessarily mean an announcement, because of sign-off procedures needed by other parties.

Peters entered Bowen House by taxi and did not speak to media.

Today's meeting follows secret one-on-one meetings with National leader Bill English and Labour leader Jacinda Ardern last night, for which Peters drove 100m to an underground Beehive car park to avoid being seen.

Peters talked to English and Ardern about his party's preferred government arrangement, which the Herald understands favours ministerial posts rather than sitting on the cross benches.

Both leaders respectively were on their own with Peters without staff or any of their negotiating teams - the first one-on-one meetings between them.

Peters arrived this morning shortly after his deputy leader Ron Mark, wearing his favourite Stetson hat, drove in. Asked if there would be an announcement today, Mark said, "we'll see".

NZ First MP Fletcher Tabuteau also said they were "getting close" as he arrived in Parliament, and new MP Mark Patterson said the party was getting to the "business end" and he expected a decision to be announced soon.

Last night's meetings came soon after a two-day meeting of the NZ First board and caucus.

Afterwards, Peters told media the board was "98 per cent there" on the policy packages that the two parties presented to NZ First, but leader to leader talks were needed to resolve other issues.

He did not specify what those issues were but they are expected to include the shape a government might take, any ministerial portfolios and any concerns Peters might have about working with English and Ardern as Prime Minister.

Peters said all the various shapes a governing arrangement could take were still on the table. He said he would try and resolve the talks as fast as possible.

It was still his goal to reach a decision by the end of the week, but that would partly depend on the other parties as well.

Peters said there was "serious consensus" over the policies put to both sides. "This is a case of policies that survived and those are the ones that will be going into an agreement."

He said once those final details were hammered out, a further board meeting could be held by teleconference rather than in person.