The Labour Party leader will not be drawn on whether he would give the New Zealand First leader Winston Peters a ministerial role should both parties be in a position to form a government after the election.
Phil Goff appeared on Television New Zealand's Q+A programme on Sunday morning and was asked by interviewer Guyon Espiner whether he believes Mr Peters' claim that if New Zealand First makes it back into Parliament it would stay in opposition.
[image:3816:half:right]Mr Goff replied that he had to take people at face value. He was then asked repeatedly if he trusts Winston Peters.
"We've worked with him reasonably well in the past - he met the terms of the agreement between Labour and New Zealand First at that time."
Mr Goff said Labour forming an alternative stable coalition would be based on getting people to sign up to core values about jobs, decent incomes and giving children a decent start in life.
Mr Peters also appeared on the programme and is standing by his statement that New Zealand First would not join a government.
"We're not out there campaigning for people to vote for us so we can prop up another party - that makes us uniquely different.
"We believe Parliament's a powerful instrument and a powerful institution for democracy. For the first time for a long time, it'll regain some of its power."
Mr Peters believed New Zealand First would get much more than the 5% support required to get back into Parliament.
