Photo: RNZ
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is pushing back after New Zealand First's Winston Peters ruled out working with him "permanently".
Peters, who hands over the deputy prime minister role to ACT leader David Seymour this weekend, told the NZ Herald that when he ruled out working with Hipkins ahead of the 2023 election "I ruled him out permanently".
Hipkins told Morning Report Peters had "held the country to ransom for long enough".
"If people want Christopher Luxon, David Seymour and Winston Peters to run the country like a circus then they can vote for that. If they want a stable government that's responsible that's actually trying to bring some maturity to the political debate then give your vote to Labour," he said.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Hipkins said Labour would decide who it would work with closer to election time, but noted the party had a "lot in common" with the Greens.
"It doesn't mean we agree with everything they say ... the alternative budget they put out was a bit unrealistic, but, you know, we'll set all that out much closer to the election. There's still a lot of water to flow under the bridge in the next 18 months."
After Peters ruled out Labour for the 2023 election, Hipkins in turn ruled out working with New Zealand First, labelling the party a "force for instability and chaos".
While speaking to media in Auckland on Tuesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he would also rule out working with Hipkins.
"Because I think, frankly, Labour is economically illiterate, as we've seen over the past few weeks," he said.
When asked whether he would work with Peters and Act leader David Seymour again, Luxon said: "I've enjoyed working with both of them, yep".
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