A video seen by RNZ shows Labour candidate Kerrin Leoni, wearing her Labour Party jacket, speaking with Mongrel Mob members about enrolling to vote and changing the government.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has heavily criticised Green and Te Pāti Māori candidates for their recent election campaign visit to a Mongrel Mob pad.

He said it was unacceptable for politicians to "go out and celebrate with gangs", and that it was "really, really ill considered, they made a real error of judgement."

Leoni acknowledged she has whānau in gangs and said she attended a whānau function earlier this month, with some gang members present - but it was not a gang pad.

One of the candidates Hipkins criticised was Te Pāti Māori's Oriini Kaipara, who told a Whakaata Māori debate this week her Tāmaki Makaurau opponent Leoni had recently been campaigning with gang members.

Kaipara said Leoni had since deleted a social media post about it.

Leoni denied that during the debate, and sought to clarify the situation in a Facebook post on Thursday evening.

"To be clear, I have not attended a gang pad, at all during this campaign. I said at the debate I have close whānau who are gang members. In early October, I attended a whānau function where some of those present were whānau gang members."

Leoni - a former Auckland councillor - said her whānau supported her political career.

"I will not turn my back on them or pretend they are not my whānau because of their associations. I've always tried to be a role model for my whānau," she wrote.

She said she was disappointed it had become the main focus following the debate, and she wanted to focus on the issues that matter to voters.

RNZ has seen a video of Leoni at a whare with Mongrel Mob members, wearing her Labour jacket, holding a sign depicting her and Hipkins and handing out flyers.

"Some of them you might know, that aren't enrolled to vote, and they can have the power to change this government," she said in the video.

RNZ sought comment from Hipkins and his office referred to his statements earlier in the day.

He said Leoni had been open that she has whānau in gangs.

"I have not asked her for a detailed breakdown of every interaction that she's had with members of her own family, but she did say yesterday that she had not visited a gang pad as part of her election campaigning, and I have absolutely accepted that," he said.

"She has members of family who are in gangs, and she is of course entitled to interact with her own family. But I don't expect to see any of our MPs or candidates campaigning in gang pads."