Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon won't be putting a time on when coalition negotiations will conclude.
When asked how finalising a deal by the end of next week was looking, Luxon laughed and admitted the lack of a time frame is "incredibly frustrating".
However he stressed there are "some serious issues that need to be resolved".
"We've worked our way through so much, we've come so far, but we actually have a few issues that we need to continue talking about," Luxon told media on Sunday.
He said the meeting was "quick" but the issues were "complex" and said the three parties - National, ACT and NZ First - would continue talking about them.
"We've got a couple of issues," Luxon admitted. "I'd call it maybe one, two or three issues.
"That's why the mixture of meetings is what we need, we'll continue to work on the issues that we are working through with both parties today," he said.
Luxon said he's had experience with dealmaking in his "commercial world" and that a lot of the principles are the same.
"You've got to get the chemistry right, you've got to get the people right," he said.
"You've got to understand the goals and the objectives, then you have got to work your way through a truckload of detail."
He said the advantage of in-person meetings was getting to a "depth of conversation you want to get to".
When asked how he wraps up the meetings, Luxon said he does it when "you've exhausted the conversation".
"You've got the information that you needed to understand where the other person was coming from, and vice versa," Luxon explained.
"Let's go away and reflect on that, think about that a little more, then come back and keep talking."
He described his meeting with NZ First leader Winston Peters on Sunday as "helpful".
"Every meeting that we have is good, because we end up discussing an understanding [of] where each other's coming from," Luxon said.
Earlier on Sunday afternoon, Peters admitted talks with Luxon were "not easy" but described them as "positive".
"We've made a lot of progress; we'll see how things develop. Got a lot of things to do, cross-checking between ourselves," he said.
"We've always been positive in these negotiations, they are not easy, they are complex.
"It's about, after all, a country that is a democracy, we don't do dictatorship around here anymore, anymore - emphasise that anymore."
"What do you mean by anymore, who is that a reference to," one reporter asked.
"Perhaps you guys, most of the time," Peters laughed.
When asked if policy issues between ACT and NZ First had made any progress, Peters laughed and said "I sure hope so".
