Winston Peters has returned to Parliament for the first time since his election defeat but the future of New Zealand First is unclear.
Newshub caught up with Peters outside Parliament on Wednesday but couldn't film for security reasons. The NZ First leader declined to be interviewed and his staffer told Newshub to eff off.
Former NZ First MPs Newshub spoke to in Wellington were out of the loop on the party's path going forward, including deputy leader Fletcher Tabuteau.
"Oh, couldn't tell you," he said when asked what's next for the party, brushing off questions on whether Peters will be staying on as leader.
Bag man Clayton Mitchell was out for lunch when Newshub caught up with him. He also couldn't say if Peters will be sticking around.
"No idea, you'll probably want to have a talk to him about that."
Mark Patterson was also out of the loop.
"You'll have to ask Winston what his plans are," he said. "I'm not sure. I haven't been talking to him."
Jenny Marcroft - who was unceremoniously demoted - has at least clapped eyes on Peters.
"I did happen to see him on the plane when I came into Wellington, so we said 'hi' and it was nice to catch up with each other, but we did not have any discussions about the future of the party," she said.
Marcroft said it was the first time she'd seen Peters since the election.
As for the former NZ First ministers, Shane Jones is still up in Northland, while Tracey Martin and Ron Mark are set to appear on Newshub Nation this weekend.
Mark has confirmed to Newshub Nation that he hasn't spoken to Peters yet.
Trying to find Peters at Parliament when he doesn't want to be found is like chasing a ghost. Newshub spotted him a few times but could never quite nab him.
The NZ First leader is seeing some of his team and hosting a dinner on Wednesday night.
After the 2008 election when NZ First didn't make it back, the caucus didn't regroup for three months. Three years later in 2011, Peters made an epic come back.
So, will the 75-year-old comeback kid do it again?
