Tauranga MP stood down amid more allegations

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone.

National MP Sam Uffindell has been stood down from the party's caucus while an investigation is carried out into further allegations of bullying raised by RNZ.

A woman who flatted with the Tauranga MP at university in 2003 has told RNZ's Morning Report Uffindell was an aggressive bully who once pounded on her bedroom door, screaming obscenities, until she fled through her window.

In a statement issued late Tuesday night, Uffindell denied claims he engaged in "intimidatory or bullying" behaviour, but said there was a falling-out between flatmates.

National leader Christopher Luxon released a separate statement, describing the accusations as "very concerning".

"Mr Uffindell disputes the allegations and in the interests of natural justice, an independent investigation will now be undertaken to determine the facts. While this process is underway, Mr Uffindell will be stood down from caucus.

"The investigation will be conducted by Maria Dew QC and I expect it to take two weeks.

"However, as these allegations have only come to me in the last few hours, the finer details of the investigation, including the terms of reference, are yet to be confirmed and will be finalised over the next couple of days."

Uffindell's former flatmate, who RNZ has agreed not to name, lived with the man and three other Otago University students for several months in Dunedin in 2003.

She told RNZ Uffindell engaged in a pattern of bullying during their second year at university, describing him as "verbally aggressive".

Uffindell would trash the house after "excessive" use of alcohol and drugs, she says.

"This was intimidation. This was bullying. I didn't feel safe," she says.

The woman says she eventually moved out of the flat after having to lock herself in her bedroom to avoid a drunken outburst one night.

"He was smashing on my door and yelling obscenities and basically telling me to get out - 'hit the road, fatty'.

"I ended up climbing out of my bedroom window and ran to a friend's house to stay the night. I feared for my safety. I was scared."

The woman says it was not an isolated incident: "it was just the straw that broke the camel's back." Her father travelled to Dunedin the next day to help her move out, she said.

Speaking to RNZ, the woman's father corroborated his part in the story and says his daughter had been "seriously upset".

"The flat itself was completely trashed. There wasn't a stick of furniture left. There was no crockery left. There were no handles left on anything. It had all been broken."

He says he gave Uffindell and two of the other flatmates "a serious piece of [his] mind" at the time.

"It was clear... [Uffindell] had real issues, real problems... he was out of control."

The woman says she was traumatised by the event and did her best to avoid Uffindell from then on: "my stomach would absolutely flip and drop if I saw him".

Looking back, the woman says she should have spoken to someone or taken some sort of action, but she was too scared. Uffindell never apologised for his actions, she says.

She says people may try to excuse Uffindell's actions because of his age, but the pattern of behaviour revealed his character.

"Listening to his maiden speech in Parliament, he talks about lack of accountability and a sense of impunity - I think that's so hypocritical."

Uffindell responds

In his statement, Uffindell says he "enjoyed a student lifestyle" at university including drinking and smoking cannabis, but the bullying allegations "simply did not happen".

"While in second year a number of flatmates fell out - and two of the flatmates left midway through the year," he says.

"I reject any accusation that I engaged in behaviour that was intimidatory or bullying. This simply did not happen.

"While there is an investigation into these accusations I will not make further comment."

New National president Sylvia Wood says she was advised Tuesday evening of the developments and the party would finalise the details of the investigation over the next few days.

The development comes after Stuff earlier revealed Uffindell, as a teenager, beat up a younger boy at Auckland's prestigious King's College boarding school.

Uffindell on Tuesday described himself as a "16-year-old thug" but says he is now a changed person.

He says the night-time attack was "by far the worst incident" he was involved in at school.

-RNZ/Craig McCulloch.

15 comments

Another by election coming

Posted on 10-08-2022 06:49 | By Womby

Looks like politics will sift through any dirty laundry


Gawd......another by-election

Posted on 10-08-2022 07:09 | By Bruja

coming our way huh?........unbelievable!!! :(


Yeah...

Posted on 10-08-2022 09:11 | By This Guy

This is why you can't trust National, couldn't be bothered to properly vet someone before putting them up for election.... Never thought I'd be saying I prefer Bridges but at least he wasn't an abusive bully


Distraction

Posted on 10-08-2022 09:56 | By Kancho

A pity to fill the media with people's opinions while the Auditor General points the finger at Labour poorly thought out legislation and ideological weaknesses so labour can quietly care on under cover with agenda. A teenage brain is a mysterious thing and 'stuff' happens. He was punished at the time by expulsion and probably some family angst. Now the nasty part of human behaviour is to rush in to get a shot in now he's down a cloaked in anonymity. A bit like the Monty Python stoning scene . When this blows over as it will hopefully criticism of government performance will resume.


Hmmm

Posted on 10-08-2022 10:31 | By Let's get real

So you can throw punches in parliament and you can smoke illegal drugs, but if you were an angry aggressive man in your early life you'll get thrown to the lions rather than get given a diplomatic posting overseas or elected onto a town council. What a fantastic distraction has been handed to the current government.


Damaged, now only a distraction

Posted on 10-08-2022 12:04 | By waiknot

Sam is damaged goods, these further revelations paint a bad picture. The honourable thing for him to do is offer his resignation.


22 is not a teen...

Posted on 10-08-2022 12:11 | By This Guy

He was 22 at the time of this second incident, so you can't blame that on a "teenage brain" - I do think its amazing how quickly the "tough on crime" people change their tune when the truth comes out about someone they like... I wonder if the next article about a youth involved in a crime will be met with comments saying "They're just a kid, they don't know what they're doing" or will it be more complaining about "they'll get a slap on the wrist, we need to be tougher on crime!"


He has to go

Posted on 10-08-2022 12:20 | By The Sage

National's selection committee should be in the firing line for this. The King's College incident should have been disclosed. I, for one, would not have voted for him. It was more than bullying, it was a pre meditated vicious attack to beat someone senseless with a leg off a bed. He was 16, had he been in England he would have gone to jail. The St Paul's suspension sounded reasonably tame however now we have the incident while at university which sounds serious. I wonder what else will come out on the matter. I am picking there are more stories to come to light. He should do the decent thing and resign. National does not need anymore MP's with poor moral compasses.


On Tuesday

Posted on 10-08-2022 12:32 | By Merlin

On Tuesday in article on Sunlive he said I was a bully at school. Now today on Sunlive he denies he was never a bully in this article. He needs to make up his mind what he is.


he has to resign

Posted on 10-08-2022 15:30 | By terry hall

he has to go, another nail in the national coffin, with this debarcle they have got to get their act to gether and quick or loose but by a small margin.


And know

Posted on 10-08-2022 15:58 | By Merlin

Now we hear Luxon's staff knew and did not tell him. What happened to the no surprises policy in National. Seems like they had some room under the carpet.


Orchestrated smear

Posted on 11-08-2022 00:58 | By kiwikel

This is nothing more than an orchestrated smear by Labour to discredit a new politician. This man has proved himself to be trustworthy in the intervening years. Why not haul the other two so called associated bullies into the argument? These complainants sound like opportunists and will no doubt try to extract compensation later. Kick these low-life types to the kerb.


The real lesson here...

Posted on 11-08-2022 14:24 | By morepork

... is that if you are ever likely to consider public office, then make sure you have nothing to hide. Many of us are so sick and tired of Labour's reign that we would be prepared to take any National candidate and cut him/her the maximum slack possible. But this is more serious than first appeared and, unless Sam can show convincingly that the anger and bullying are behind him, he should step down. Political life is virtually impossible if you can't keep your temper. It only needs a few prods in the right places by his opponents and he will be lost. Leaving Sam aside, there were some serious mistakes in the way this was managed, so both the content and the management of it showed serious shortcomings by National. I voted ACT... never done so before, but I liked their candidate and their policies.


A question

Posted on 13-08-2022 10:42 | By Merlin

I understand Todd Mc Clay MP knew about this. Perhaps he should have told his leader under their no surprises policy.


This 'person' is supposedly

Posted on 16-08-2022 14:19 | By Bruja

going to be my representative in Parliament. No thank you!!! He does not represent any value that I hold dear. Get him gone!


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