New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (Reuters)
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Sunday said his steady handling of the fragile economy was the "overwhelming" reason for the centre-right National Party's historic third election victory.
"They saw the economic direction we wanted to continue to take the country in and the things we have achieved over the last six years," he said, pledging to hold the same steady economic line.
It was important for the party to remain grounded and not succumb to "arrogance", he said.
"I don't intend to take the party veering off to the right. We've held the centre ground for the last six years. We're not looking to do radical things."
Accusations of dirty politics and mass spying dominated the campaign ahead of Saturday's general election but had little impact as Key's National Party increased its level of support.
It is the first time in the seven elections since New Zealand adopted a complicated proportional representation system that a party has won sufficient seats to govern alone.
But Key said he would not forget his coalition partners of the past two elections -- ACT, United Future and the Maori Party -- and would offer them roles in his new administration.
"I always believed one of the reasons we did hold our support was because in the worst of economic times we really did continue to fund, and had to borrow to fund, programmes to support the most vulnerable New Zealanders and I know there's more work to be done," he said.
The central bank estimates the economy will grow 3.7 percent this year and budget figures say this should lift to 4.0 percent next year, while inflation in the year to June was a benign 1.6 percent.
The government also posted its first budget surplus in six years in May, and says it has a plan to keep spiralling debt under control.
'Government for all New Zealanders'As the opposition left-wing parties licked their wounds following the rout, Key promised an administration "that governs for all New Zealanders" and even contemplated contesting a rare fourth term in office at the next election in 2017.
"Well, I'd like to," he said. "You've got to believe we've got a great chance of doing that but I'm not silly enough to know that to get that fourth term we have to deliver over the next three years.
"Fourth term sounds great, but you've got to earn it." A fourth consecutive victory has only been achieved twice in New Zealand -- by the National Party led by Keith Holyoake in the 1960s and the Liberals under Richard Seddon who won five elections from 1893.
The National Party won 61 of 121 parliamentary seats, up from 59 at the last election in 2011, while the main opposition Labour Party managed only 32, down two, after its worst performance since the 1920s.
To continue the stability, Key said he would be speaking to the coalition partners in his previous government who could provide a further four seats under the mixed-member proportional (MMP) system.
"Technically on the numbers we don't need other partners but MMP is a system designed to work with other political parties and I think that would be a nice grouping to carry forward," he said.
It was a bleak poll for Labour, but defiant leader David Cunliffe refused to step down.
"Of course I take responsibility (for the loss) ... but at the end of the day we need to move forward, and our campaign to win in 2017 starts right now," he said as Labour faces at least nine years sidelined, starting from when Helen Clark's third-term government lost to Key in 2008.
Former Labour leader David Shearer, and his former deputy Grant Robertson refused to rule out standing in a leadership challenge and current deputy leader David Parker would not answer directly when asked if he would endorse Cunliffe.