UPDATED 12.40PM: Willie Jackson is demanding answers from the Prime Minister after coming under fire from a National MP over the weekend.

Government minister Alfred Ngaro told an audience at National's northern regional conference in Auckland that if Willie Jackson criticises the government during the election campaign, he'd lose support for charter school and Whanau Ora contracts he's applied for.

“We are not happy about people taking with one hand and throwing with the other,” Ngaro said. “If you get up on the campaign trail and start bagging us then all the things you are doing are off the table. They will not happen.”

Ngaro later regretted making the comments, saying they were "naive" and "poorly worded."

But Willie Jackson says he hasn't received an apology or received any word from the government, and intends to write a formal letter.

"My primary goal is to ensure that our community is safe and I'll be striving to go down that track today," Jackson said.

"He's effectively threatened those people's livelihoods and our community. You have to have some type of guarantee from the Prime Minister that it wasn't just an off day for Alfred."

Prime Minister Bill English told Mike Hosking this morning that the government doesn't discriminate contracts based on political opinions.

"It can't happen and Alfred wouldn't be in a position to do it," English said.

"He's apologised for the remarks. We don't work like that."