ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕝 𝕤𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕-𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕟𝕖𝕘𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤

ℕ𝕖𝕨𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕓 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟'𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕝 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟'𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕣𝕤.

T

he panel were discussing the transparency of negotiations between National, ACT and possible coalition partner New Zealand First.

National might need the help of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to form a Government, depending on the outcome of the estimated 500,000-plus special votes still to be counted.

It comes as Christopher Luxon wants all coalition negotiations to be held in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland, Newshub understands.

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Ben Thomas, a PR consultant and former press secretary for the National Party, said coalition negotiations are a "black box".

"They always have been for MMP. The tragics among us can sit and wait, and everyone else can get on with their life."

Thomas said coalition agreements are typically light on detail, especially the one signed by Labour and New Zealand First in 2017.

"We never saw it."

As the discussion moved towards Winston Peters' false tweet this week about the 2019 terrorist attacks in Ōtautahi / Christchurch, Thomas said he's probably appealing to his voter base.

"The worst case scenario is he got back in [to Parliament] on the back of fringe marginal groups - conspiracy theorists.

"And he's decided he needs to play to that gallery throughout the term. Being a handbrake is not enough."

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, the commissioning chair of Whānau Ora and recent Te Pāti Māori candidate, said people are probably annoyed waiting for coalition negotiations to be over.

"The whiteboards must be getting really worked over because there's significant mahi going on in the background - the scenarios, [and] what it might look like."

Raukawa-Tait said the public wants full disclosure and things to be done in a timely manner.

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"I think that's actually what the public now expect," she told co-host Simon Shepherd.

"Why shouldn't they know some of the detail? Why shouldn't they know where one party had to concede on certain policies?"

She said who knows where negotiations will go.

"It's taken so long, and of course the longer it goes on people will be talking about the desirability of having Winston there as part of the coalition government."

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