NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones rules out working with Labour

New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones has ruled out working with the Labour Party, saying there were "no exchanges of love letters at all" between the two parties.

Labour's leader, Chris Hipkins, said in August that Labour would not work with NZ First. The Spinoff reported that Hipkins cited "overt racism" from NZ First leader Winston Peters and from Jones as the reason.

Jones spoke to media in Russell, in Northland, after election night. Discussing the results, he said "people want speedy delivery", according to the New Zealand Herald.

Jones was NZ First's candidate in the Northland electorate. As the vote count began there, he was in third place, about 1000 votes behind the two frontrunners, the Northland Age reported.

New Zealand uses the MMP system, where the share of the party vote a party wins determines its share of seats in Parliament. Parties that fall short of the required threshold need to win an electorate seat to enter Parliament, and a government usually needs the support of more than half of MPs.