National Party leaders are defending their coalition government despite recent tensions with New Zealand First over foreign policy communications.
The comments come after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon accused coalition partner Winston Peters of "playing politics" following the release of emails about New Zealand's position on US strikes on Iran.
National Party campaign chairperson Simeon Brown told Morning Report the three-way coalition was functioning effectively, despite the public disagreement.
"The coalition is working very well with all three parties working on delivering coalition agreements to New Zealanders," Brown said.
The diplomatic spat emerged when Foreign Minister Peters' office released internal emails discussing New Zealand's stance on US military action against Iran. Peters later acknowledged that not informing the Prime Minister's office about the release beforehand was an error.
Brown emphasised that National, as the largest party in the coalition with the most ministers, remained focused on key policy priorities ahead of the November 7 election.
"This included growing the economy and managing the fuel crisis," he said.
The senior National MP praised Luxon's leadership in managing the complex coalition dynamics, noting the unprecedented nature of the arrangement.
"I think most New Zealanders would see that there's never been a three-way coalition in an MMP environment before," Brown said.
He credited Luxon with doing a "good job" managing relationships between National, ACT, and New Zealand First.
Brown confirmed National's commitment to maintaining the coalition through to the election, ruling out any possibility of an early election call.
"National was focused on staying in the coalition agreement all the way through to November 7," he said.
The party is concentrating on maximising its party vote in the upcoming election while continuing to deliver on coalition commitments.
The three-party coalition has faced various challenges since taking office, with different parties occasionally taking contrasting public positions on policy issues. However, Brown's comments suggest National remains confident in the government's stability and effectiveness.
The coalition agreement requires all three parties to work together on delivering their shared policy platform, despite occasional public disagreements on specific issues.