Cunliffe tight-lipped over decision to rule out Maori Party

Labour Party leader David Cunliffe. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Labour leader David Cunliffe is refusing to reveal who made the decision to rule the Maori Party out of a Labour government after several Labour MPs confirmed the decision had taken them by surprise.

Mr Cunliffe said it was a "collective decision" but would not say who had made it or if his front bench or campaign committee had known he intended to make that decision.

"We don't talk about our internal processes like that. We are very comfortable with the position we've got. We've had good collective discussions about it but it's not for me to go into the internal processes." He said no MPs had raised concerns with him, Labour's Maori caucus were happy with it and he stood by the decision.

"What's important is that the public deserve some certainty about the shape of the future Government." Mr Cunliffe has said that will only include the Green Party and NZ First -- and ruled out any government roles for the Maori Party and internet Mana although he would 'talk' to them.

Several senior MPs, including some frontbench MPs, told the Herald they did not know about it until Mr Cunliffe said it on Newstalk ZB last week.

The Herald understands it was also not run past the campaign committee -- a group of six MPs and several party officials -- before Mr Cunliffe announced it.

Some MPs spoken to said they were taken by surprise and believed it was a mistake. None would be quoted because it was so close to the election.

However, one pointed out Labour was aiming to win all seven Maori seats, which would logically mean the end of the Maori Party and it was possible Mr Cunliffe believed his decision was in line with that.

One Labour insider who backed the decision said it was a deliberate tactic to stop Maori splitting their vote between the Maori Party and Labour on the assumption Labour's MPs would get in on the list. Many in Labour believed the Maori Party would have chosen National over Labour anyway.

Mr Cunliffe said he was not ruling out talking to the Maori Party but would not include them in his executive. Asked again what he would do if it came down to a choice between backing down and including them in government or going back into Opposition, he again refused to answer saying it was a hypothetical question.