Members of Mana Motuhake were having growing concerns about the Labour-Alliance coalition government's Maori policies and were seriously considering leaving the Alliance (an umbrella party of 5 smaller parties including Mana Motuhake) as a result. Party members were also concerned that Mana Motuhake's identity was becoming subsumed by the Alliance. This led to internal debate around the direction the party was being led, eventually leading Willie Jackson to challenge Sandra Lee for the leadership of the party.
