Winston Peters dismisses idea of meeting with Greens

NZ First leader Winston Peters is effectively treating the Labour and Green parties as a single unit in coalition negotiations, after those parties had spent years "hugging", "embracing" and "loving" each other.

Following a meeting with the National Party this afternoon, Peters dismissed any suggestion that it would be useful for him and his team to meet with the Green Party.

Earlier Greens leader James Shaw said the Greens had made themselves available to meet NZ First, but the invitation had not been taken up.

Peters said he was not open to meeting the Greens because the Greens had campaigned on a partnership with Labour.

"For months and months, in fact for years, they all campaigned together, hugging each other, embracing each other, and loving each other. We didn't.

"We were never part of any pre-arranged structure, so why are you trying to foist one on us now?"

Asked if he was effectively treating the Greens as a part of Labour in the coalition talks, Peters said: "Take a wild guess - that's what they campaigned on.

"Would you get with the programme? They ran on an MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] all those months, in fact years, and now you want to know how I explain this connection?"

Peters said he was not aware of any invitation to meet with the Greens.

Asked whether it would be worthwhile, Peters said: "I've got no idea why this question is being asked of me, given that I've told you all we'll be negotiating in good faith with National and the Labour Party."

He also suggested he may not make an announcement on NZ First's decision on Thursday.

"We will make a decision on Thursday. That's what I've said from the word 'go'.

"We'll let you know when it's relevant for you to know what the outcome is."

Peters and his team just started a second meeting of the day with Labour, and has another meeting scheduled with National at 6:30pm.

On his way to the afternoon meeting with Labour, Peters urged patience.

"You know that we've got, basically, two and half days to go. That means you'll have to be patient because we have to be, and so does my team and so does the board.

"And we can't give any commentary until we do know, with exactitude, exactly how it turns out."

He told media that it might take "longer than you think".

"So if you're going on TV tonight, rather than misinform them with all sorts of wild speculation, just say that these things take considerable time. They're being conducted with enormous intensity, a lot of research, but we will get it finished."

Asked if two and half days was enough time, he said, "Why are you worried?"