A discord is growing among Labour Party members following the selection of broadcaster Willie Jackson for the list in this year's general election.

An open letter is circulating among the membership, calling on councillors to reject Mr Jackson's membership and to vote against him.

Speaking to Newshub at Waitangi, Labour Party leader Andrew Little said the membership have raised "valid concerns".

"I just hope they have an open mind about Willie – the full breadth of what he brings, every dimension… and the value he would bring in terms of our Māori representation, cos that's what he's going to be doing."

The letter, written by opponents of Mr Jackson, says he represents the "past, not the future of Labour."

Four main concerns are raised in the letter: His "abhorrent" Roast Busters interview, a lack of "courage to fight homophobia", his advocacy for charter schools and a lack of gender balance in Labour's caucus should Mr Jackson obtain a high position on the list.

The Roast Busters

Mr Jackson found himself in the centre of controversy in 2013, when he and RadioLIVE co-host John Tamihere interviewed "Amy", a young woman allegedly victimised by the Roast Busters.

He was accused of victim-blaming after he said girls shouldn't be drinking and asked whether, because some of the young women had consented, the men couldn't be considered rapists.

The 'Roast Busters' were a group of young men who allegedly attempted to intoxicate and sexually assault underage girls. The men would then name the young women on a Facebook page.

Mr Jackson's conduct during the interview was "abhorrent and totally at odds with Labour values," the letter reads.

"Allowing Jackson to represent our Party flies in the face of survivors of sexual violence, and the policies Labour seeks to put in place to improve justice system processes for complainants," the letter goes on to say.

It echoes sentiment expressed by Poto Williams, Labour Party spokesperson for family and sexual violence.

Posting publicly on Facebook, Ms Williams wrote she is "yet to hear that he understands his attitudes and views are highly offensive to many New Zealanders. I'm yet to hear that he wishes to work on putting that right and apologise for his behaviour".

"White Ribbon calls for us to support people who wish to change their abusive behaviour, so I welcome the opportunity to support Mr Jackson in apologising and making those change," she wrote.

"Until then, as someone who speaks for the victims of family and sexual violence, and as a survivor of such abuse, I can not in good conscience support him as my colleague."