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It has been straight down to business for the Prime Minister in
waiting John Key, busy hammering deals to form the National-led
government.
He wasted no time in meeting with Act and UnitedFuture leaders on
Monday, to cobble together a coalition to run New Zealand for the
next three years.
Act leader Rodney Hide and Key held talks for an hour on Monday afternoon, where Hide gave a commitment that his five MPs will support National.
He is expecting at least one, if not two, ministerial posts for Act members, however they are likely to be outside of cabinet.
Key shook hands with Hide as the pair emerged from their talks, Key saying he can now confirm a National-led government.
Hide has voiced that he wants Government spending tackled, the Emissions Trading Scheme scrapped and a tougher line on law and order.
He says New Zealand voted for change and that is what he will be assisting Key to achieve.
He says now is not the time to insist on getting his way so he is not about to throw his toys out of the cot he says.
However environmental lobbyists are worried about some of Hide's ideology.
Greenpeace climate change campaigner Simon Boxer says he is concerned the new government could renege on Kyoto deals or the ETS.
UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne was more coy about his meeting with Key, not saying what Ministry he is after and refusing to talk about the matter at a joint interview with Key on Monday afternoon.
"John and I have talked for many months now about the sort of directions New Zealand might follow, and we have found we have so much common ground, that it seems like the logical thing that we support him after the election," says Dunne.
Key will meet the Maori Party on Tuesday to see if he can extend his reach to 70 of the 122 seats in the new parliament.
