Social and economic progress have continued to be constant themes through coalition talks with New Zealand First.
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern entered her third meeting with kingmaker Winston Peters this morning armed with gingernuts and chocolate wheatens and came out with an update on talks about shared ideas.
"Another really productive session this morning," she said.
"Our meetings have focused on our shared ideas, areas where we want to make sure that we progress New Zealand socially and economically and that's where our focus continues to be."
Peters emerged a short time later, telling reporters the meeting had been "very good".
Asked whether he still expected to meet his Thursday deadline for announcing his decision, Peters said that had not been discussed.
"We're not talking about that," he said.
"We're sticking with our talks, they're going very well, they're very serious, very meaningful, and we'll get through the programme."
Peters has been careful to give the main parties equal time to talk through the policy concessions he wants in return for his support to form a coalition government.
Labour's Tuesday morning session took each party to three formal meetings, and an hour after it ended Prime Minister Bill English led his team of senior ministers and officials into National's fourth meeting.
Only the Green Party has been left out in the cold.
They're a crucial part of a potential centre-left coalition because Labour and NZ First can't command a majority on their own, but Peters isn't going to speak to them before he announces his decision.
The Greens are, however, in talks with Labour, and the two parties met on Monday.
"We anticipate that we'll be meeting the Green Party this afternoon and again with NZ First this afternoon to continue our policy discussions," Ardern said today.
National were set to meet with the NZ First negotiating team again at 12.30pm.
Peters is stacking up his party's policies against those of National and Labour, looking for the best deal he can get.
But he isn't giving anything away, and there's been no indication at all of which party is offering the most favourable concessions.
- NZN
A bunch of Kiwis banded together to make their own way to New York in darkness.
