Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she hasn't given any thought to Labour potentially governing alone despite poll results showing they won't need a minor party to form the next Government.
Based on the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll, Ardern and Labour would rule Parliament - holding a majority of 50.1 percent.
The Greens, in a confidence and supply agreement with the current Government, are on 6.5 percent while Labour's coalition partner NZ First is polling at 1.9 percent - nowhere near enough to get back into Parliament.
Asked on The AM Show whether she would work with the Greens even if Labour could govern alone, Ardern said she hadn't thought about being the only party.
"I haven't entertained this idea of governing alone or run through that hypothetical because that's just not what MMP elections have delivered."
"There's no complacency on our side. We are seeking a strong mandate - that's our view of how we will be able to deliver a strong recovery."
ACT, which has lapped up support from former NZ First voters and is polling at 6.3 percent, has all but ruled out a coalition with Labour should they need a minor party to form a Government.
"They have a skills shortage. The fact that Chris Hipkins has to be the Minister of Health and Education shows they do not have the skills to plot a path," ACT leader David Seymour said of Labour.
Asked by The AM Show host Duncan Garner if Labour would do anything it hadn't campaigned on if elected for a second term, Ardern noted she never campaigned on gun law reform before that came into effect last year.
"Certainly it's never one's intent to surprise but I will give you an example; I didn't campaign on gun law reform but it was very, very obvious from the events that we experienced after March 15 that that was absolutely necessary.
"Regardless, you know when we have in the last three years been delivering on really significant policies. I have looked to build consensus even when we haven't needed those votes - on the Zero Carbon Act we worked with The National Party to try and bring them on board."
On the contrary, Seymour and his party stood against gun law reform and the Zero Carbon Act.
"That's going to have to be changed," he told The AM Show.
"There's got to be a way for those firearms to come back within a legal cordon, so this is about safety but it's also about respect and dignity for a group of New Zealanders who are just as horrified by what happened [on March 15] by anyone else - probably more so - and feel like they've been scapegoated for it."
New Zealand moved to the Mixed Member Proportional voting system - or MMP - in the 1990s largely due to single-party Governments being able to form despite that party not receiving the most votes.
