Labour leader Andrew Little says he may boycott Te Tii Marae in future years if it persists with its ban on news media.
He made the comment at Waitangi shortly before he was welcomed on to the lower marae and to address a political forum with other party leaders, which media have been banned from covering.
He also confirmed that broadcaster Willie Jackson would stand for Labour on the list and be given a "winnable " list position.
Little said that in his speech to the forum he would be telling the marae that the media blackout was wrong.
"I cannot see that a continued media blackout is in any way consistent with the public role that I have."
No matter what the result of the September 23 election he said: "I cannot guarantee that I would be at Te Tii again if there are further media blackouts."
He would always be a part of the celebrations at Waitangi "but I cannot guarantee that I will come to a place where the media and the public and therefore New Zealanders here and around the world are prevented from seeing what I have to say."
Jackson confirmed he had been talking to the Maori Party about standing for it this election.
But he said he had a history in Labour and had worked with it in Government.
He lived in Makere which was in the midst of a housing crisis and Labour wanted to build 100,000 new homes, 50 per cent of them in Auckland.
He was also critical of the Maori Party.
"We think he Maori Party has got an obsession with the iwi leadership and it is really starting to get on our nerves.
"The average Maori is missing out at the coal face and it just seems they are besotted with what is happening at iwi leadership level and meanwhile thousands of Maori are missing out in terms of the benefits from treaty settlements."
Referring the Jackson, Little said he would broaden Labour's representation in Parliament.
"We want to continue and depend and strengthen our representation of Maori. We have the strongest representation of any party in Parliament.
"There is a voice that is not well heard and that is the voice of urban Maori.
"Willie brings very strong credentials in that regard."
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