National leader Christopher Luxon has expanded on why he believes National can't work with Te Pāti Māori, saying the latter is "separatist" and "radical".
Addressing reporters in National's caucus room at Parliament this morning, Luxon said his announcement should not come as a surprise.
Luxon has previously consistently said it was "highly unlikely" National would work with Te Pāti Māori to form a government after the election.
Luxon had consistently said it was "highly unlikely" National would work with Te Pāti Māori to form a government. (Source: 1News)
"It's clear that there is a very wide gulf between our parties on important matters.
"For example, National believes New Zealand is one country with one standard of citizenship, meaning one person, one vote.
"We are one country. We have a single system for the delivery of public services. Those public services meet people on the basis of their needs not their ethnicity, and we're all equal under the law, one person, one vote."
He said National was "deeply committed" to outcomes for Māori.
"I just don't believe that separate systems are the way that we need to do that."
He said he wanted to make it clear "a vote for Labour, a vote for the Greens, or a vote for Te Pāti Māori, is a vote for a coalition of chaos with more economic mismanagement".
Luxon said distancing from Te Pāti Māori was ultimately his decision, although there had been ongoing caucus conversations on the topic and it was not a surprise to them.
"What is obvious to me is that we have a Māori Party that is pursuing a separatist, more radical agenda.
"The focus of this Māori Party at this time in this generation is very much on constitutional arrangements, and it's talking about having a separate Parliament, it's wanting separate voting rights, it's wanting not full and final Treaty settlement payments.
"What New Zealanders really need right now is none of this stuff - none of this stuff that's been happening in Wellington over the past week."
Asked if Te Pāti Māori ultimately became National's only route to power after the election, if he would still not work with it, he said: "Correct".
"There is just no philosophical alignment between the Māori Party and the National Party."
He denied the party had polled on the topic and said the "turning point" was "watching a perverse set of behaviours over a number of weeks".
Asked if voters could be confident a coalition under National and Act, and New Zealand First, Luxon said the party was "under new management".
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi have previously told TVNZ's Q+A programme they would find it hard to work with ACT or National.
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