Greens reject Winston Peters

Winston Peters has been shunned by National, the Greens says they won't work with him as a minister and Labour leader Helen Clark is indicating she's not sure he'll be back anyway.

National's leader, John Key, said before the campaign began he wouldn't have anything to do with Mr Peters or his New Zealand First party because of the donations scandal.

The Greens said yesterday the most recent revelations about Ross Meurant's dealings with the Vela family and NZ First were the most serious yet.

"If we get to the position post election where Winston Peters is being proposed as a minister...I think he can't sit around the cabinet table until we clear this issue up," Green's co-leader Russel Norman said.

Miss Clark has embraced the Greens, who could get up to nine seats on current polling, and Labour will need them as a coalition partner or a support party.

"The Greens have waited a long time for more involvement in government," Miss Clark said yesterday.

"I think their time has come."

Asked by reporters about her attitude to Mr Peters, she replied: "Winston Peters and New Zealand First are the great Houdinis of New Zealand politics but obviously it's looking tough."

New Zealand First is polling around 2.6 percent and needs to reach 5 percent to get MPs in Parliament if it doesn't win an electorate seat.

Mr Peters is standing in Tauranga but a poll on Sunday showed he is far behind National's Simon Bridges.

The revelations that are worrying the Greens were published in the Dominion Post this week.

The paper said it had documents which showed Mr Meurant, who worked for Mr Peters, had been dealing with the wealthy Vela racing family and had told them he could create a framework of "friendly" policies.

The Vela family donated significant amounts to NZ First.

"They are allegations of money for policy," Dr Norman said.

"You can't have a cabinet minister with those allegations over him."