A whirlwind few days are forecast in Monday's papers for Prime Minister-elect John Key as he works to form a new Government as speedily as possible; Phil Goff tipped to head Labour with former party president Maryann Street as his deputy.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald says Prime Minister-elect John Key will meet ACT and United Future allies on Monday to form a Government as speedily as possible with the hope that his Cabinet can be sworn in within a week.
Outgoing Trade and Defence Minister Phil Goff is set to become the new leader of the Labour Party to follow Helen Clark, but the Herald predicts that the deputy leadership could be contested.
NZ First insiders hope their party can survive by either reinventing itself around a new personality or by finding a niche as a policy-based party.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says there's no time to waste for Mr Key as he moves swiftly to install his new Government - while bracing for more bad economic news and prepares to rush through a number of law changes by Christmas.
The paper expects Mr Goff to take over as Labour leader and suggests former party president Maryann Street as his deputy.
The Press
The Press says Mr Key heads to Wellington on Monday morning for a whirlwind few days as he tries to fast-track the formation of a new Government.
Locally: the paper says the numbers reveal a political earthquake in the Christchurch on Saturday night.
While National did not take any electorates from Labour's grasp, it tallied huge numbers of party votes across the city and gave Labour a scare in Christchurch Central.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says the task of forming an inclusive Government became easier for Mr Key after concessions on Sunday from ACT and the Maori Party that they would talk to National without any set bottom-line positions.