However, there is a growing confidence a coalition deal could be announced as soon as Thursday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation and frustration.
Three right-leaning parties - conservatives National, libertarians ACT and populists NZ First - are engaged in negotiations to form government.
National party leader and incoming prime minister Chris Luxon has announced this week the trio has locked away a policy program for the next government, a key objective of the talks.
Parties have moved onto negotiating ministerial roles, including the deputy prime minister position, coveted by ACT leader David Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters.
On Wednesday, Mr Luxon said that decision was one of the final issues holding up the talks.
The former Air New Zealand chief executive said he would stay in Auckland until negotiations were completed, and so hopes were raised of a breakthrough when he took a late night flight to Wellington on Wednesday night.
He called it a "glorious" day as he walked into parliament on Thursday.
"We've got a little bit of work to do this morning and then hopefully we'll be in a good place," he told the NZ Herald.
"I'm talking to the leaders, another couple of conversations this morning and hopefully we'll have it closed out.
"We've done a lot of other work last night but we've just got a couple of telephone calls to make and should be in good shape."
Mr Seymour, also in Wellington where any government deal is expected to be announced, didn't dismiss the possibility of a shared deputy role.
"It could well be ... in a negotiation you explore every avenue to try and reach consensus," he told Newshub.
Anticipation of a Thursday deal went into overdrive when journalists camped at Auckland Airport spotted Mr Peters, signalling the leadership trio coming together to sign the pact.
The near-seven weeks of coalition talks, which ramped up after the confirmation of final results on November 3, have produced breathless coverage of the party leaders' movements and utterances.
It has exhausted Kiwis according to a new poll by Talbot Mills.
The poll found 66 per cent believed the negotiations were taking too long, compared with 19 per cent which disagreed.
One-third of respondents blamed Mr Peters for the length of negotiations, 24 per cent blamed Mr Luxon, while 40 per cent were unsure who to blame.
On TVNZ on Thursday morning, former prime minister Jim Bolger pushed back against the idea the talks were taking too long.
"What's the hurry? What's the fuss?" he said.
Mr Bolger said Mr Luxon's approach to talks showed "he'll be a calm, thoughtful" leader.
He said Mr Luxon should follow in his footsteps and give the deputy job to Mr Peters, as he did in 1996.
"If I was Christopher Luxon I'd be looking at my team, saying that none of them have had much experience in government, if any at all," he said.
"Maybe the best bet would be to go with someone with a lot of experience in government and that has to be Winston."
17°C