Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he had made good progress to forming a Government as soon as possible after the final vote count is revealed on Friday.
“We are going to move as quickly as we can in the coming week,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking.
“There are still negotiations to be had and issues we need to work through but we have been working diligently with all parties involved. We want a strong and stable government on the other side.”
Asked if there would be a government formed in the new week Luxon said he couldn’t give an accurate timeline.
“I’d love to be able to do that but I need to see those special votes counted. There is good intention from everybody not to draw this out any longer than it needs to be.
“We have good intention to move quickly and we know the country needs to get sorted, we need to get cracking onto some stuff before Christmas, there is good intent from everyone.”
Luxon told TVNZ’s Breakfast he would love to see any third supermarket retailer come into New Zealand.
“I think competition is always good in every market.”
National supported the Grocery Commissioner and the code of conduct to make sure prices were competitive - which he said had worked very well in the UK.
The Grocery Commissioner was the right office to investigate claims of suppliers demanding higher prices, and he believed it had the power it needed to do so.
“It’s early days, we need to give them a good go.”
If more interventions were needed they could be looked at, he said.
But he also believed New Zealand needed to become a more attractive place to invest - making it easier to get resource consent to build and to get through the Overseas Investment Office process.
“If you’re an international retailer that wants to come into New Zealand, for example, it’s very difficult to bring your money into New Zealand to do so.”
Luxon said he “absolutely condemns” the attacks on Israel by Hamas, but urged both parties to comply with international law and obligations.
He told TV3′s AM that he was thinking about affected communities in New Zealand.
“I am thinking about our Jewish community here in New Zealand, our Muslin community here in New Zealand. It’s an incredibly difficult time,” he said.
On the preliminary count from election night on October 14, National and Act received enough of the party vote to hold the barest majority in the House - 61 seats out of 121.
The result transitions Luxon, 53, from a first-term MP into running the country.
The prospect of Luxon having to turn to New Zealand First is a real possibility with the prospect of an overhang in Parliament - meaning there could be more than 121 MPs in total.
Special votes could also impact on Parliament’s final shape, with a final result scheduled to be declared in two days.
The weekend is expected to be filled with talks with potential coalition partners following Friday’s expected announcement.
Luxon said he would prefer a coalition with just Act but will talk with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters if need be.
He has so far kept coalition negotiations out of the public eye but has repeatedly said talks are “progressing well”.
However, Luxon has also said he would be “very open” to making any coalition agreement documents public, something Act Party leader David Seymour said he would also support.
“As soon as we have something to say, we’ll say it,” Luxon said, confirming he has spoken to both leaders of the Act Party and NZ First.
Yesterday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he has been spending a lot of time lately packing boxes as he prepares to depart office.
“My boxes are all packed, we’re ready to go,” Hipkins told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking.
Hipkins said the transition phase is a little bit frustrating.
“I can’t really embrace the position of Opposition, and I can’t embrace the position of Government.”