Meka Whaitiri last week dropped a big bomb on the Government by announcing her departure from Labour and joining Te Pāti Māori.
But deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis didn't believe Whaitiri's defection was anything to do with whether his party had done enough for Māori.
Davis joined AM last week and host Ryan Bridge asked him whether he thought life had gotten better for Māori under this Government.
"Absolutely," he said. "Life has got better, under this Labour Government, for Māori. We'll continue to focus on the issues not just for Māori but for all New Zealanders."
AM on Tuesday spoke to Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, the chair of Whānau Ora, and The Hui host Julian Wilcox, about Whaitiri's defection.
Raukawa-Tait said she believed New Zealand had a problem with "particularly strong Māori women; they're articulate, they know the issues and what they're not prepared to put up with, any longer, is incremental change".
Watch the full video for more.
