Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says his party's focus on its flagship Whanau Ora policy won't change after Tariana Turia retires at the election.
Speaking on TV3 on Saturday morning, Mr Flavell said the social welfare policy is at the heart of where the Maori Party wants to be and has already helped thousands of families.
He said the social welfare policy is one of the greatest achievements of his party's relationship with the National-led Government.
He was not concerned about a report released this week which raised concerns about the sometimes inconsistent nature of Whanau Ora funding, because he said the programme had proved its point after several audits.
However, the Mana Party leader, Hone Harawira, said the policy wouldn't survive beyond Ms Turia's retirement.
Mr Harawira said while he liked Whanau Ora, there wasn't the appetite for it within National, which he says is starving it of hundreds of millions of dollars of funding.
He also said the programme had failed to gain traction within the Maori community.
But Mr Flavell said Whanau Ora had been a life-changer for thousands of families.
