Election 2023: National's Chris Bishop categorically rules out doing deals with Greens, Te Pāti Māori

National campaign chair Chris Bishop has categorically ruled out any arrangement in Government with the Green Party or Te Pāti Māori now the special votes are in. 

The special votes showed National needed the support of NZ First and ACT to form a Government. 

But theoretically, National could bypass those parties if it chose to form a Government with the Greens. 

Speaking to Newshub Nation on Saturday, Bishop said there was no chance of that happening. 

"The Greens spent most of the election campaign attacking the National Party. In fact, they ruled the National Party out themselves about three or four months ago. 

"There's no chance of that happening, they don't get to lambast us for month after month and say, 'Oh, we're interested in a deal' - that's not going to happen." 

It comes after Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, speaking to the NZ Herald on Friday, sent a warning to the incoming Government. 

"Just try and come for the Treaty, just try," she said, referring to ACT's election promise for a referendum on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

"It is really important we work with Te Pāti Māori and Labour to uphold that Te Tiriti justice aspiration because it's not just Māori, [it’s] our Tauiwi [non-Māori] allies too," Davidson told the Herald.

Bishop said on Saturday working with Te Pāti Māori also wasn't a possibility. 

During and before the election campaign, Te Pāti Māori said it would only work with parties focused on a Treaty of Waitangi-centric New Zealand. 

"Again, the Māori Party has spent most of the last two years attacking the National Party left, right and centre," Bishop said. 

"They've called us every name under the sun so turn around a day after the results are declared and say, 'Oh, we're interested' - I mean, come on. I think people see that for what it is. 

"We're not doing a deal with the Māori Party. Look, the voters have sent a really clear message - they want to change the Government; they want National to be the bulk of that Government, they want ACT as part of the mix and they also want Mr [Winston] Peters and New Zealand First as part of the mix."

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