National's leader Christopher Luxon says he's only focused on how his own party is tracking - not New Zealand First.
His comments come after polling earlier this month showed NZ First had risen 1.7 points to 3.3 percent. The party only received 2.6 percent of the vote in the 2020 election and was booted from Parliament.
"We're not doing any electoral deals with any political party," Luxon told AM when asked about NZ First.
"For us, our focus is on maximising the party vote for National and focusing on the things that matter most to New Zealanders."
AM host Ryan Bridge asked Luxon - who's making his maiden bid for the Prime Ministership - whether he'd consider giving NZ First leader Winston Peters a spot at his prospective Cabinet table, should that be required.
That was required in 2017 when NZ First garnered 7.2 percent of the vote, becoming the kingmaker and subsequently choosing to enter a Coalition with Labour. Peters became deputy Prime Minister under Jacinda Ardern.
"It's a really hypothetical question because New Zealand First is not in Parliament," Luxon told Bridge.
"The latest polls I've seen say that they're at 3 or below 3 percent so it's a hypothetical question.
"What I'm focused on is maximising the party vote because that's the only way New Zealanders change the Government and get a strong, stable National-led Government."
However, Luxon would likely have to tap fellow right-bloc party ACT on the shoulder to form a Government - based on recent polling.
National would get 46 seats v Labour's 43, based on last week's TVNZ Verian poll. However, the 15 seats from ACT - who has ruled out working with Labour - would get National to the 61-seat threshold needed to form a Government.
Labour won the party vote at the 2020 election in a landslide and was able to form a majority Government.
But the party earlier this month fell to its lowest point since 2019, based on Talbot Mills polling.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has described that poll result as "disappointing".
"Any poll result like that is disappointing but it is real, and I take it seriously," he said. "I know the last few months have been a bit messy for the Government."
Hipkins told AM on Tuesday the Government would be "working hard" before October's election "to earn the right to continue to govern the country".
"We'll be putting forward, I think, a very ambitious and optimistic view of New Zealand's future with some exciting things that I think people will see reflect the sort of future that we want as a country."
