David Seymour says the coalition “barely survived” its first term and wants work on forming the next government to begin before the final election result is known.

The ACT leader told chrislynchmedia.com he wanted “one game plan, one coalition agreement” if National, ACT and New Zealand First returned to power. In 2023, National signed separate deals with each of its coalition partners.

Seymour said he had met Christopher Luxon for “a bit of a yarn” and had not spoken to Winston Peters since election night.

Luxon has indicated formal coalition talks should wait until the official result. Seymour said businesses and households needed certainty and warned that negotiations involving four parties could run until Christmas.

On the preliminary count, National has 42 seats, ACT has 13 and New Zealand First has 12. Together they hold 67 seats in a Parliament of 131. The official result is due on November 27.

Seymour said past elections offered little basis for predicting how special votes would fall. “My gut tells me that the coalition will be re-elected.”

He said a government seeking a third term would need to deliver “fewer ministers, fewer departments, less spending, a balanced budget, no new taxes”.

Former ACT leader Richard Prebble has called Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins “both losers” and said they should resign. Asked whether he still had confidence in Luxon, Seymour said he did, pointing to what ACT had achieved on deregulation and resource management.

Seymour was also asked whether RNZ chair Brent Impey should go after The Post reported he was among the board members who signed off a $5 million overdraft. RNZ has confirmed the board approved the facility, which was set up without the required ministerial approval.

Seymour said Impey had only recently taken over as chair when the board approved the overdraft. He said an inquiry was under way.

“Who knew what, when, how the hell could this happen?”

Seymour said a failure of that scale would ordinarily cost the chair, chief executive and chief financial officer their jobs. He described several senior figures as having “already been fired”. Former chair Jim Mather was replaced in June, chief financial officer Hilary Parker resigned in October and chief executive Paul Thompson is due to leave in December, a departure announced in May.

Asked what the financial failures said about RNZ’s wider culture, Seymour took aim at its accounting department. “I think they should probably get an award from Creative New Zealand.”

Seymour praised RNZ’s press gallery team as “among the most professional in New Zealand journalism”. He said the broadcaster’s board could commission a review of its election coverage.