There's no guarantee Mr Peters will side with his former party in coalition negotiations, according to people close to the man of the moment. If Mr Peters was to go with Labour, the coalition would also require the support of the Greens. All party leaders said they would have conversations over the next few days, with some of them already trying to woo Mr Peters on election night. "I want to acknowledge the strong performance of Winston Peters and New Zealand First," Bill English said in a speech to his supporters. Mr Peters sounded buoyant but kept his cards close to his chest.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 23, 2017 19:18 UTC