Deputy New Zealand First leader Shane Jones has touched down in Wellington with assurances "common ground" will be found over the role of deputy prime minister.
Jones was interviewed at Wellington Airport shortly after arriving in the capital. It follows a deluge of senior National MPs returning to Wellington, where it is widely understood a coalition agreement announcement will eventually be made.
It follows National deputy leader Nicola Willis' admission earlier today she was "not in the race" for the role of deputy prime minister, and National leader Christopher Luxon's explanation she was never a consideration for it.
Who will Christopher Luxon and the National Party offer the deputy premiership to? Tried-and-tested Winston Peters? Or new blood David Seymour? (Source: 1News)
He added he and Willis believed it was best given to a coalition partner, and said the allocation of the role was one of the last remaining big issues of coalition talks.
Asked why he had come back to Wellington, Jones said it was "that point in the journey where us New Zealand First MPs have arrived at the head of the fish".
Wellington is said to be the head of the fish of Maui, after which the North Island is named in te reo Māori - te Ika-a-Maui.
Asked about the progression of talks he said the "ebb and flow" of discussions had been "surrounded by a cone of silence".
"And Matua [Shane Jones] does not want to perforate that cone."
Asked by one journalist if NZ First leader Winston Peters was holding the country to ransom due to a desire to become the deputy prime minister, Jones rejected it as "most certainly not".
"Winston Peters has been scrupulous in observing the importance of confidentiality in these discussions.
"I'm just reminded of that great line from St Stephen's School Education, 'cometh the hour, cometh the man'."
He said he was not privy to the "intricacies" of discussions around the deputy prime minister role, but he had "every confidence" in Peters.
"He's been faithful to the kaupapa of being confidential and not allowing sensitive discussions to spill out."
Jones said too much was being "read into conjecture" around the finalisation of roles.
"This is all part of negotiations.
"I think Christopher Luxon's done a good job. There's three entities that are going to form the government.
"[Luxon] is steering forward three parties. Like I said on the Māori news [TVNZ1's Te Karere], we've all got to find a place on the mat."
He said there was a "breadth of experience and a vitality of youth" that would "find a common ground".
Earlier, Greens co-leader James Shaw said the challenge over the role was that both had said they wanted it.
"So whoever gets it, the other one looks like they're a loser. So they're going to have to work out an elegant solution for that one."
He said he was relaxed about the time it was taking to form the government.
"A week here or a week there actually just doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it's more important to get it right."
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