National's Christopher Luxon is still leaving a pathway to power for Winston Peters despite nearly half the country wanting to rule out working with him in a Government arrangement.
And on Luxon's other side, ACT's David Seymour is himself not ruling something out - making Luxon beg for support.
Luxon was out wooing seniors on Monday.
But there is another senior causing Luxon headaches: Winston Peters.
The New Zealand First leader has found a new pitch to his dog whistle: "Māori in their anthropological statement about themselves and their whakapapa, whakapapa back to Hawaiki. That is where they were indigenous to, can't be indigenous to two places".
But Luxon disagrees, saying Māori are indigenous to New Zealand.
Peters is now also making fun of Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi's ta moko. He described Waititi as having "scribbles on" and a "cowboy hat on".
Greens co-leader James Shaw said Peters "has been put out of pasture", but there is a "worry, of course, that he is going to jump the fence and get back in".
Waititi opted out of an interview because he didn't want to give Peters any energy.
Luxon though still has the energy to continue to resist ruling out giving Peters any power.
The National leader wouldn't rule him as deputy Prime Minister.
"What I am saying to you is I am focused, as the leader of the National Party, on delivering for the New Zealand people," Luxon said.
A lot of those Kiwis want him to rule Peters out though.
In our Newshub-Reid Research poll, we asked, should Luxon rule out forming a Government with Peters?
The results show 43 percent said yes, while nearly 37 percent said no, and the rest didn't know.
Looking at Luxon's own base - National supporters - there was even stronger support to rule Peters out. Of these people, 46 percent said yes and 37 percent said no.
Asked if that changes his mind about not ruling Peters out, Luxon said: "He's not in Parliament, not above the threshold, so hasn't been a thought."
While Luxon is brimming with confidence out and about, confidence is all he might get from one of his potential governing partners.
ACT is threatening a confidence - and no supply - Government deal if Luxon doesn't share power.
"I wouldn't call it a threat, it's just keeping the options open," ACT leader David Seymour said.
That would mean National has to come begging for support to pass Budgets. If a Government can't pass its Budget it must resign.
Seymour said that wasn't holding the country to ransom.
"It's making sure we get the best possible deal, especially for taxpayers."
Luxon said he had a good relationship with Seymour.
Friends, with the potential to become frenemies.
The Newshub-Reid Research poll was conducted between 3 September and 9 September 2023 with a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
