Pleas from his electorate have seen Pita Sharples decide to run again for the Maori Party in the 2014 election.
The Maori Party co-leader had indicated after the 2011 election that he would consider standing down for 2014.
But he told the Maori Party annual meeting in the Wairarapa town of Greytown on Saturday that after speaking to the electorate, he'd changed his mind and would seek to win his Tamaki Makaurau seat again in 2014.
"He wanted to actually look at stepping down. The electorate had to speak with him and his family about the opportunity for him to stand again," Maori Party council member George Ngatai told NZ Newswire.
"It certainly wasn't something that he wanted, it's more from the electorate's point of view in terms of making sure that we have a strong candidate and member of Parliament for Tamaki Makaurau for the next electorate."
A poll on Friday put the Maori Party at 3.5 per cent, well up on the 1.43 per cent result from the 2011 election when they lost support to Hone Harawira's Mana Party.
Mr Ngatai said the party was looking at appealing to non-Maori and to target the party vote in an attempt to get more MPs.
"We've concentrated mainly on the Maori seats in the past," Mr Ngatai said.
"But now we're looking at increasing the representatives in Parliament, and the only ways we can look at doing that is concentrating on retaining our Maori seats and looking at building our party vote as well."
The Maori Party's support agreement with National has divided some of its supporters and led to Mr Harawira, its former MP, forming the Mana Party.
But party president Pem Bird told the hui that sticking with National was a "no-brainer".
NZN
