Winston Peters is not expecting a call from John Key after National won a clear majority in the General Election.

The New Zealand First leader says the result means National does not need his party to govern so "why would they call me now".

They have triumphed and we have to salute the winner, Mr Peters told Q and A this morning, adding: "It does not mean things are going to get any better."

The NZ First leader said every party's turnout got hurt by Mr Key calling an early winter election but he says the public will see the true state of the economy by November.

The election got sidelined by illegal spying and "the big guy from Germany who should never have been here trying to buy an election", Mr Peters said.

And he says Labour was seduced by the idea of a Labour-Green coalition even though "the Greens were poison to them and the maths never added up".

New Zealand First wanted to see an outcome that would turn the economy around and Mr Peters says their best chance was to get more National votes.

"Sometimes you have to win by persuasion and we fell just one point short.

"We always had the prospect of going to the cross benches. If we couldn't get an agreement with National or Labour to change the fundamentals then cross benches was the place for us to go."

Mr Peters, 69, would not comment on whether he intended to stay in politics but said his motivation is to keep the system honest.