As New Zealand waits for the 570,000 special votes to be counted to confirm the final result of the election, parties are remaining tight-lipped on how government negotiations are going.
One major issue to address is whether to accommodate ACT's bottom line of a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi – but our latest poll reveals Kiwis aren't keen.
The Christopher-craze is taking off – at least at Cockle Bay Primary School. National leader and incoming prime minister Christopher Luxon was swamped by children during a visit on Thursday.
Luxon chose his old stomping ground as stop one on his victory lap.
It was his big blue thank you to New Zealand as we wait in limbo land.
"We are using that time to build relationships and also to progress the arrangements with the respective parties," Luxon said.
He was keeping up sweet silence about any negotiations.
"We won't be talking about that because essentially we want to be able to do that in good will and build good faith and good strong relationships so we deliver strong, stable Government."
What's up for negotiation is not up for conversation.
"We have had very productive processes that have allowed us to get closer to the result New Zealanders want and that is a stable united Government ready to deliver real change from day one," said ACT leader David Seymour.
Seymour has a policy to rewrite the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and put it to a referendum. He's made it a top policy priority for forming a Government, but Luxon has called the idea divisive.
"The discussion is not divisive. The current policy direction is divisive. The way to heal that division is open, honest discussion," said Seymour.
In our latest Newshub-Reid Research poll, we asked do you think New Zealand should have a referendum on the treaty?
A majority 55.8 percent said no, while just 32.2 percent said yes.
"It is an idea I launched just 18 months ago and now one in three New Zealanders support it," said Seymour. "I think that reflects that it is an idea whose time has come and I expect that popularity will grow as it becomes better understood over the years to come."
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters wouldn't say on Wednesday whether he would allow a treaty if he is involved in Government.
Luxon said it is not National's policy.
"We don't think it's constructive. But in fairness to the conversations we have going on, there are many layers to it and we will leave it at that."
Luxon seems to be changing his language around the referendum - completely ruling it out on the campaign - but not going so far on Thursday.
So, we wait to see whether he's willing to cave on a principle, cave on something he thinks will be divisive for the country.
