Separate Maori representation in Parliament had kept Maori voices out of the mainstream political process, law professor Philip Joseph says.
In a paper released by the Business Roundtable, Prof Joseph said the Maori seats should be abolished.
He said Maori had achieved proportional representation without the need for separate seats.
"The presence of the seats tends to remove Maori viewpoints from the mainstream political agenda."
The separate seats could also lead to "reverse or indirect discrimination" and the likelihood the power held by the Maori electorate MPs exceeded their electoral mandate.
He raised the possibility of the Maori Party winning all seven Maori electorates at the election without increasing its share of the party vote, which gave it an entitlement of three seats.
An overhang of four members would have a bearing during post-election negotiations.
The number of confidence votes needed to form a government would increase from 61 to 63, he said.
Business Roundtable chairman Rob McLeod said the business lobby had no formal position on the issue but he welcomed Prof Joseph's findings.
"Maori should be fully involved in the political process rather than kept on the sidelines. Separate representation marginalises Maori and also suggests the issues they face are Maori problems alone when often they're not."
The Business Roundtable said Prof Joseph's paper was the second in a series on Maori development.
The Maori Party said Prof Joseph's report regurgitated arguments that had been used to deny Maori representation since 1840.
"The report says the Maori seats are outdated, and Maori have achieved proportional representation with the need for Maori seats," said MP Te Ururoa Flavell.
"Utter rubbish. Without the seven Maori electorate MPs, Parliament would not be proportional."
Mr Flavell said the report quoted the Royal Commission of 20 years ago which thought putting Maori individuals high on party lists would make separate seats unnecessary.
"But tangata whenua opposed that, because the `Maori representatives' would be selected by the parties, and disciplined to represent the party, not the iwi," Mr Flavell said.
"Parliament agreed with the Waitangi Tribunal that Maori seats are a constitutional issue, not a `race-based privilege', so the seats remain today."
