Former National Party leader Todd Muller says Sam Uffindell's reinstatement in the Tauranga seat is a 'relief”.

Muller, the Bay of Plenty BP, says he's been in touch with Uffindell 'frequently” over the last six weeks.

It followed allegations Uffindell attacked a younger student at high school and then faced claims of bullying as a university student.

An investigation into those claims did not substantiate reports he was a bully after leaving high school, National Party president Sylvia Wood said on Monday afternoon.

Muller says he's 'pleased” for Uffindell and his wife Julia following his exoneration.

'But I'm also pleased for Tauranga.

'It's been a tough few weeks for Sam and his family, and it's good to have this resolved.

'I've been in touch with Sam frequently, just to check up on him - as a colleague but mainly as a friend.

National MP for the Bay of Plenty, Todd Muller, says he's relieved to hear the outcome of a report into Sam Uffindell's past.

'This has been a tough process, particularly as it has been so public, and I just wanted to make sure that Sam and Julia were tracking okay.

'I think he'll prove himself as a tremendous MP for this area. The city as a whole will be relieved that this has been resolved, and now we can carry on.”

Muller says Uffindell has the chance to win back the support of his constituents through 'hard work”, but admitted mistakes were made in this year's by-election that led to voters being left in the dark about the MP's past.

'If we had the time again, we'd do things very differently.

'I can sympathise, and you can't duck that criticism. We have to make sure that from a party perspective, it doesn't happen again.

'But as an elected MP, you have to be available to people regardless of what they want and regardless of their political persuasions. If you work hard, over time people form an appreciation of that.

ACT Party leader David Seymour says the people of Tauranga will need to make up their minds about Sam Uffindell at the next election.

'His suit of armour has been thoroughly tested already, and now he has to be himself, own his mistakes and show people, through dedication and hard work, that he's worthy of their trust.”

Muller says Uffindell has been 'terribly pained and affected” since the investigation began.

'He's been having to talk so publicly about something that he's deeply unproud of. He has fronted up and owned it, and it has struck me as I've watched this unfold that he's sought to deal with this with integrity and take ownership of what has happened.”

ACT Party leader David Seymour hints at next year's general election as the real test of Uffindell's credibility within his electorate.

Labour Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti ran against Uffindell for the Tauranga seat. Photo: Monique Ford/Stuff.

'Sam Uffindell has been given a second chance by the National Party,” says Seymour, whose candidate Cameron Luxton finished third behind National and Labour in this year's Tauranga by-election.

'Now the people of Tauranga will have to make up their minds, too.”

Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti, who also ran against Uffindell for the Tauranga seat, declined to comment on his reinstatement.

'This is a matter for Christopher Luxon and the National party,” says a spokesperson for Tinetti.

Commissioners at Tauranga City Council also declined to comment.

Acting Prime Minister Grant Robertson says the National Party was playing cynical politics, rushing the Uffindell report out in the hours ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

'It was pretty disrespectful, and definitely cynical. There were certainly other options for making an announcement like this,” he says.

'The National Party and [National Party leader] Christopher Luxon have to defend the approach they've taken here. I think we should all take, very seriously, assault and bullying allegations.”

-Dan Sheridan/Stuff.