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Senior Maori Labour Party figure Rudy Taylor says yesterday's caucus reshuffle sends a signal of renewal heading into the next election.
Leader Andrew Little put Te Taitokerau MP Kelvin Davis on the front bench and gave him the shadow Maori development portfolio previously held by Nanaia Mahuta.
The Hauraki-Waikato MP dropped to 12 in the rankings, meaning she remains on the front bench and in contention for a cabinet post if Labour forms part of the next government.
Mr Taylor, who lost to Ms Mahuta in the contest to be the party's Maori vice president, says many of those promoted are younger MPs who have shown they are willing to put in the effort.
He's pleased to see Tamaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare in the shadow cabinet with a new responsibility for urban Maori.
"I think he's got a lot of talent. He's knowledgeable and I think he can handle that responsibility. His grandfather Sir James Henare was a rangatira and he's got the breeding of his grandfather and his father Erima. He has to show he can work harder. Maori have to get behind all these Maori candidates," Mr Taylor says.
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