Leader of New Zealand First party Winston Peters has revealed he could abandon his push for a full referendum on Māori seats in a coalition deal.

The biggest block to a Labour-NZ First coalition could be removed, with Winston Peters hinting at a backdown on a Māori seat referendum.

In an interview with Australia's Sky News on Wednesday, NZ First's Winston Peters said the Māori Party had been "smashed" in the election.

Asked by Sky News whether Labour's non-negotiable stance on a referendum could affect his promise, Peters said he initially wanted the people to decide.

"It was written up as Peters' opposed - he's going to abolish the Māori seats - that's not true. I said let's have a referendum and let the people decide, and apparently some people don't like democracy," he said.

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"The Māori Party itself are a race-based, origin of race party who got smashed in this election and it's gone.

"So some of the elements on which the promise was made have just changed, that's all I can say."

Peters has previously said he was against the existence of the seats, describing them as "tokenism".

But Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has pledged her party would not agree to such a referendum.

She said Labour had worked hard to win all seven seats in this election and the party was not about to turn its back on Māori.

The Māori seats come from seven electorates that draw from a separate Māori roll of voters to elect members to Parliament.



Voters of Māori descent can choose to go on this roll instead of the general electorate roll that the rest of the country uses. Their party votes don't change, but their electorate votes go to the Māori electorate contest taking place wherever they live.

The interview to Australia's Sky News was the only one Peters gave after he ranted at local media on Wednesday at a press conference where he said he would not make a decision on forming a coalition with Labour or National until special votes were counted on October 7.

Peters told Sky News Labour's view on taxation "seriously undermined their campaign".

And asked whether details of his superannuation being leaked to the media would affect his view of National, he said that it would not affect his judgment.

"I'm meant to be acting in the interests of everybody, and the party called New Zealand First and everyone who voted for us," he said.

"So if I'm going to put their interests aside and think about mine, I wouldn't be here in the first place. I have a bigger priority, the priority at the moment is to ensure we do a first-rate responsible job on getting the best possible outcome at the end of this election."

When asked by Sky News whether he would consider the position of deputy prime minister, no matter which coalition he formed, Peters said he was not thinking about it yet.

"If you go into negotiations worried about where you're going to be on the Monday after negotiations, then you shouldn't be there because you're not going to keep your eye on the prize - the prize is not your job," he said.

"The prize is getting the best possible outcome you can for your party and the country and hope to survive the decision when the people see what it is."

Peters told Sky News that the one "big thing" he wanted both Labour and National to consider in exchange for his cooperation was the international economy.

"I want them to promise that they have a grasp of economic reality. I think that we're in a very serious state with our international economy, I think the situation in China is very uncertain and unstable in terms of the debt. It's not so flash in Australia, our biggest trading partner, and one tremor can have a serious effect on New Zealand," he said.

"I wished in this campaign, the two parties had a grasp of the inevitable correction it's going to take and how much pain that's going to bring. That's what I really hope for."