Labour's Te Tai Tokerau MP, Kelvin Davis, has conceded there are no guarantees Māori will get high places on Labour's list for the September election.
Kelvin Davis said voters would have to choose between the parties. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
But he's confident there will be as many as 10 Māori MPs in the Labour caucus after the election - with five in the cabinet.
Mr Davis and Labour's five other electorate MPs have decided not to seek list places, raising the possibility there will be few Māori near the top of the list.
But Mr Davis told TV3's The Hui he hoped other Māori, including broadcaster Willy Jackson and lawyer Willow-Jean Prime, would get good list rankings.
"We could have upwards of nine or ten Māori MPs in the Labour caucus post the election, we've got seven now and I think that it offers more choice to Māori."
He said the decision meant voters would have to choose between the parties.
