Vote 2017: Labour to meet first with NZ First today

Another meeting between NZ First and Labour will kick off the third day of negotiations to form the next government.

NZ First leader Winston Peters has been careful to give each of the main parties equal time to talk through the policy concessions he wants in return for his support.

On Monday he held two meetings with National and one with Labour, so Jacinda Ardern's team gets first crack at it on Tuesday morning.

Peters is stacking up his party's policies against those of National and Labour, looking for the best deal he can get.

But he isn't giving anything away, and there's been no indication at all of which party is offering the most favourable concessions to allow NZ First's key policies to be implemented by the next government.

The Greens, meanwhile, have been shut out of the talks.

They're a crucial part of a potential centre-left coalition because Labour and NZ First can't command a majority on their own, but Peters isn't going to speak to them before he announces his decision.

He said on Monday he would talk only to National and Labour, leaving it up to Labour to keep the Greens in the loop.

Peters is still confident he can meet his decision deadline of Thursday this week.

- NZN