Parliament will go into urgency this week, Prime Minister Helen Clark confirmed today.
She gave no hints whether this indicated that Parliament would sit for the last time next week ahead of the election.
Parliament must dissolve by October 6 and an election held by November 15, but the final decision is Miss Clark's and she is keeping her cards close to her chest.
Miss Clark told journalists that after starting the committee stages of the emission trading scheme legislation tomorrow, the House will go into urgency to make progress on a large range of bills.
Parliament will rise at 10pm as normal tomorrow and then sit from 9am to midnight on Wednesday and Thursday.
Officials predict Parliament will rise for the week on Friday afternoon or evening.
Most of the bills being dealt with are non-controversial and will be sent to select committees for the next Parliament to deal with.
The urgency move is another step in the path towards an election.
Most people are picking November 8 as the most likely election date, though some in National are still convinced it will be held as early as October 18.
Miss Clark said today she had a date in mind, but would not give any clues towards what it was.
Asked if the urgency programme made the last scheduled session beginning September 23 unnecessary and Parliament might meet for the last time next week, Miss Clark said that was not necessarily correct.
There are more than 50 bills parked on Parliament's order paper which the Government wants to make progress on.
Many of these are first readings which take up to two hours of Parliament's time to send to select committee.
Others are at more time-consuming stages, where progress can be slowed by the opposition if it wishes to.
There are also a number of large bills ministers want to see put into law.
Amongst these are bills reforming the police and immigration legislation.
While parliamentary business does roll over to the next Parliament, it is up to the Government and individual select committees to set their programmes.
