Erica Stanford has cringed at Greens co-leader Marama Davidson and Te Pāti Maori's Debbie Ngarewa-Packer's teamwork during Newshub Nation's Powerbrokers debate, calling them "two silly schoolgirls".
Davidson and Ngarewa-Packer backed each other through Thursday night's debate, where they high-fived and encouraged one another.
On Friday, Stanford, who was on the AM panel with Labour's Ginny Andersen, said of Te Pāti Māori and Greens' teamwork: "I mean for goodness sake, you had these two silly schoolgirls high fiving each other every five minutes."
At one point in the debate, ACT leader David Seymour was asked if he could work with New Zealand First's Winston Peters, which triggered a scrap between the pair.
Seymour replied: "I think the question is, can anyone? Nobody has been able to.
"He has fallen out with practically every person he has tried to... This country has serious challenges.
"This guy has had enough chances already. It's not clear why he thinks he deserves another one."
Peters could be heard saying, "Oh David, David, David, this is sad".
Asked if Standford believed her leader Christopher Luxon could tame the pair in coalition situation, she said "of course".
"As Winston said, of course they'll work together. The problem is that they're after the same voter and so that's what you saw last night."
Labour's Ginny Andersen said she thought Luxon would've been at home watching the debate and ruled out working with NZ First by Friday.
"It looks absolutely impossible, both Winston and David Seymour have a lot of political experience on Christopher Luxon and I think he will almost definitely have an impossible situation if he has daily deal with both of those."
Andersen said she can imagine Peters and Seymour "rolling around the carpet punching each other while everyone else is trying to have a conversation".
But Stanford hit back, posing what a Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori coalition could look like.
"The alternative is Debbie and Marama high fiving each other," she said.
"That was a national embarrassment last night, those two, they were like tipsy, silly schoolgirls. We've got some serious economic problems that we are facing and those two just having their weird little girl power things, if anyone wants to have a government with those two, well, I mean, Lord, help us."
Host Ryan Bridge said Labour had already "been in bed" with Peters prompting Andersen to reply:
"And he has been in bed with National in the past as well so yes he has gone with lots of others in the past.
We have ruled him out this time because some of their policies are unworkable with ours and I really do think him and David Seymour are like oil and water - they won't be able to work together."
Watch the full video above for more.
