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Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis says Labour is supporting the Te Reo Maori Bill, but doubts it will be effective.
The revised bill tabled back in the house last week dropped a plan to put the Maori Language Commission and the Maori broadcast funding agency under the control of a new iwi-driven board, Te Maataawai.
Te Maataawai remains in a reduced form.
Mr Davis says history will judge whether creating a new layer of bureaucracy will increase take-up of the language.
"One of the good things about the Bill is it forces the government to have a government Maori strategy as well as allowing a separate strategy that iwi put in place, Maori put in place for ourselves. There are some positives from it but the long term difference, I'm not really convinced we will see any," he says.
Maori Development minister Te Ururoa Flavell hopes the Te Reo Maori Bill will be passed by the end of March.
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