Here is the good news so far post the final vote. 

By the way, I expect a recount for a couple of seats. If you win or lose by less than 100, I think it's only fair to test it. 

But how much pressure does that place on the Electoral Commission to have done their job properly. 

It's one thing to take three long weeks to count, but in a recount if the numbers aren't exactly the same, and my suspicion is they won't be, then just what was it you were doing all that time? 

Anyway, we will wait and see. But back to the good news.

So far Chris Luxon has delivered what he promised; relationship building outside public glare.

The positive signs are all parties have played by the rules.

The further good news to that is that Winston Peters, I am hoping, and this could be my naivety, wants at last to cement his place in political history by becoming a proper centrist success story that can survive more than one election cycle without him spitting the dummy, falling out with everyone and getting sent off into the wilderness. 

MMP has become stuck in a centre left/centre right rut, with Act and the Greens established, successful brands, but limited to one major party each. 

True MMP is about centrists who can move both ways and with united, ancient history, New Zealand First has a genuine chance at cementing a place. 

The weakness is the fact they are supported by the angry, not necessarily the thinkers. But if Peters can grab a couple of good portfolios, look professional, deliver a few specific polices that don’t look like pork barrel, provincial growth slush funds, then he has a chance. 

Luxon's great skill is he comes from business and business is about deals and co-operation. It's about common good and common goals. You don’t have to love each other or be mates. 

New Zealand is a mess. There is a job to be done and it's not that hard to coalesce around that idea. 

David Seymour is a professional. So all this noise about him hating Peters is for the media to obsess about, not the adults to let get in their way. 

If everyone got on famously, we wouldn’t have separate parties, and that is the trick to MMP. It's not a love in, it’s a deal. A deal with a common purpose. 

The first true MMP deal, 2017-2020, was OK, but was created for the wrong reasons and Covid blew it up.

This might just be our first real crack at adult, professional politics.

Fingers crossed.