The Labour Party has taken the final step towards entrenching the Maori seats, with leader Helen Clark saying Labour would throw its weight behind a Maori Party bill to secure the seats' future.
Last week, leader Helen Clark said she had no problem entrenching the seats, but stopped short of committing Labour's support.
Although the comments represent a subtle change, Radio New Zealand's parliamentary staff say they send a strong message to the Maori Party that Labour is willing to remove potential obstacles to a post-election relationship.
This also puts the ball back in National's court, in its attempts to woo the Maori Party.
The Maori Party says it would expect any party it supports after the election to vote for its entrenchment legislation, which it has already drafted.
National's leader John Key says the entrenchment issue has never come up in discussions between the parties, contrary to what the Maori Party says.
