Labour party caucus members have arrived at a meeting where they will decide if leader Chris Hipkins remains in the role.
The meeting has Labour party caucus members arriving one by one to the venue which is in Wellington but away from the parliamentary precinct.
While one MP has declared his support for Hipkins, others were more coy about their vote.
The confirmation - or not - of Hipkins' leadership is required within three months of the election, under the Labour party constitution.
Hipkins is due to speak to the media after the meeting at about 1pm. It will be livestreamed on the 1News website.
Outgoing Rangitata MP Jo Luxton - now a list MP - who also briefly held the customs ministerial portfolio, would not reveal how she planned to vote, saying she wanted to keep it "close to my chest at this stage".
"I think Chris Hipkins has done a fantastic job."
Asked if she thought he would be still be the leader by the end of the day she said there would be a vote on it.
"But as I say, he's done an amazing job and I've got full confidence in him.
"He only had a really short runway [to the election] so he hasn't had that full three years a normal leader would."
Asked if she thought David Parker would be a good leader, she said: "I haven't even thought about that".
Parker has previously run for the leadership and is touted as a possible challenger. Parker quit the revenue portfolio earlier this year after Hipkins ruled out a capital gains or wealth tax under his leadership.
Parker said he was not planning to run for the leadership.
Asked if Hipkins had his vote, Parker said the "question of endorsement will come up, it's a matter between me and the caucus".
"I'm not commenting any further."
Asked if he intended to go for the leadership later in the term, he said that was "not my intention".
Te Atatū MP Phil Twyford, who Hipkins booted from Cabinet not long after becoming prime minister, would also not reveal who he was voting for.
"I think Chris has got the experience and the skills to lead Labour, but this is the kind of stuff that we discuss inside the caucus room.
"Chris has done a great job for us and I'm very supportive of his as leader.
"He's a talented and experienced politician, we're lucky to have him."
He said he would be surprised if Hipkins did not continue as leader after today.
Incoming Christchurch East MP Reuben Davidson - a new member of Labour's parliamentary caucus - said Hipkins had his vote.
"I think he's got the experience to lead us. He's a strong leader. He's been in the party in Opposition, he's been the leader in government."
Asked if there had been phone calls from caucus members shoring up numbers, he said he hadn't received any.
Asked if Hipkins was likely to lead the Labour party into the next election, he said it was a question for "time and Chris to answer".
He said the Labour caucus was "really united".
Labour suffered one of its worst election defeats in October, reducing its party vote from 50% in 2020 to just shy of 27%, losing several electorate seats - including those considered "safe" Labour seats such as Mt Roskill and Wellington Central. It also saw massively reduced margins in other Labour strongholds, such as Mt Albert, where Labour's margin dropped from about 20,000 votes to just 20.
Meanwhile, National was this week progressing coalition talks with ACT and New Zealand First.
Special votes, confirmed on Friday last week, revealed National and ACT would not have the numbers to govern alone and would require New Zealand First's support.
1News understands National and ACT are close to finalising a deal.
NZ First's leader Winston Peters arrived in Wellington yesterday for a caucus meeting of his own, after a two minute walk through Wellington Airport ignoring reporters' questions.
Last week he told 1News coalition negotiations were "going well".
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