Government to focus on education, housing and welfare reform

John Key has discussed National's post-election agenda. Photo / Glenn Taylor

Prime Minister John Key says education reform, National's Home Start housing programme and the continuation of welfare reform are the three key areas he wants to get started on post-election.

Speaking on Radio New Zealand this morning, Mr Key said ministerial portfolios were all but certain for United Future's Peter Dunne and the Maori Party's Te Ururoa Flavell whom he hoped would be confidence and supply partners for National.

It was less clear for Act's David Seymour given how new he was to Parliament, Mr Key said.

"We sign up with the particular parties but when we do that, or historically have done that, part of that is an agreement around any ministerial authority.

"If that becomes the case [they] would become ministers outside of Cabinet and if we could follow the same pattern we've followed in the past, they're bound by confidence and supply [agreements] so they give the government stability in terms of voting for the Budget but they are only bound by their ministerial portfolios."

Mr Key said National may reach out to NZ First with the offer of a memorandum of understanding, but conceded that it was "probably not likely".

"I think more likely issue by issue we'll start trying to talk to them."

With regard to the Green party, Mr Key said; "the problem is really not so much us ruling them out, it's been them ruling us out".

A previous memorandum of understanding had worked well with the party's home insulation scheme, he said.

Later appearing on TV3's Firstline, Mr Key said Judith Collins wouldn't be a member of Cabinet any time in the near future.

"We need to go through that professional inquiry undertaken by Justice Chisholm, he'll look thoroughly at that, so, she won't be a member of Cabinet in the short term."