National party Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell tells of his baptism of fire

Tauranga National MP Sam Uffindell's start in politics was a baptism by fire. Less than two months into his new job, his fledgling career was almost derailed amid bullying and violence claims. An investigation was launched and Uffindell was reinstated to caucus. Speaking for the first time in depth about his tumultuous introduction to politics, he tells Kiri Gillespie about his regrets and hopes for the future.

Four months after being elected Tauranga MP and just over two months after his new career was tarnished amid accusations of violence and bullying, Sam Uffindell says he's thankful to still have the job.

On June 18, Uffindell won the Tauranga byelection in a landslide victory to replace former National Party leader Simon Bridges as the electorate's MP.

On August 2, he delivered his maiden speech in Parliament.

Just one week later, revelations emerged that as a student, he had been asked to leave King's College after a violent attack on a younger boy.

Uffindell admitted he had been a bully during his time at the school and was stood down from Parliament amid allegations of further bullying behaviour at university. He was later reinstated to caucus after a report by Maria Dew, KC, found the university claims could not be substantiated.

From a seat near Mount Maunganui's main beach yesterday, Uffindell doesn't dispute the suggestion his entry into politics quickly became a baptism of fire.

"It was challenging and it was intense. But I... fronted, held myself accountable."

The controversy unfolded while Uffindell was in Wellington, along with other MPs as part of a standard parliamentary week. He avoided flying back to Tauranga, returning instead in a several-hour-long car journey with Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller.

Muller himself experienced his own political upheaval, of sorts, when in May 2020 he staged a coup to oust Bridges as National leader and replace him. Then just 53 days later, Muller shocked New Zealand's political landscape by stepping down for health reasons.

"We obviously talked about different ways this could work out and just some advice he had for me around you know, he's obviously gone through some of his own challenges, and just advice for me around how to manage the impact this would be having on myself, of course, but also my family," Uffindell says.

Uffindell says his wife Julia and family also bore the brunt of the furore and some of his time while stood down involved looking after things "closer to home".

"... sometimes it can have a greater impact on the family than it can on the politicians, but Julia's very stable, stoic, she's very resilient and she gave me a great grounding throughout this.

Sam Uffindell doesn't dispute the suggestion his entry into politics quickly became a baptism of fire. Photo / Andrew Warner

"My mum also was impacted by this. She lives in Auckland; she came down and stayed with us through the duration of the period I was stood down."

Uffindell says despite his limited capacity to work as an MP during the investigation, he was "still getting out there and meeting constituents and meeting people".

"Obviously, there were limitations on what I could do... you know, I was stood down... but yeah, I was still engaging throughout that period."

There was also an element of needing to look after his and his family's wellbeing, he says.

"I can't say it was stress-free downtime."

Despite the intense pressure, Uffindell says he never considered quitting.

"I wanted to stay on - I knew I had a lot to offer."

However, he admits having some nerves at potentially losing the job he'd barely just started.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell. Photo / Andrew Warner

"Look, there's definitely a level of apprehension around it from the moment that the investigation got underway... so, you know, you never believe it until you see it. But I was very thankful that Christopher and the caucus invited me back to caucus and I'm very thankful I have the leader's support.

"I was always wanting to be invited back."

Uffindell says he wanted to be Tauranga's MP. "I'm a hard-working person, I have a good idea of where I think the country should head, I had a fairly good career as well, I have a lot of skills and attributes... I really want to work for the people of Tauranga, to be a good MP for them."

Uffindell says that ultimately the experience was worth it, despite the trauma.

"It's something that I am very distressed that it occurred. I'm apologetic for it and deeply regretful for it but I've taken accountability and learned from it."

Asked what these lessons were, Uffindell responds: "The important thing is that when you make mistakes, and we all will in life, is to take accountability for them, reflect, build yourself up as a better person."

Uffindell hasn't been in touch with the victim since the investigation. "I'm not sure whether they would want to hear from me either."

Asked if he ever thought the Kings College incident would come back to bite him in his aspirations to become MP, Uffindell responds: "I didn't know the severity of how it would come back."

"I wouldn't have been surprised at all if it came up and obviously it did.

"The reality is that when you're in public life, for better or worse, nothing's really off limits and people will look into your past and that's just a reality of the life as someone in the public spotlight."

During the Bay of Plenty Times' byelection coverage, Uffindell said his biggest regret was not returning to New Zealand from overseas sooner.

He says he didn't bring up the Kings' College incident because he had been representing himself as he was today, "not the 16-year-old me, I'm a lot better person now than I was back then".

"Sam Uffindell when he was 16 was obviously immature, probably lacked a bit of empathy and, you know, just a typical confused teenager in a way," he says.

"The person I am today, I'm very sure of where I stand on things. I want to do well for people. I want to do well for this country. I've got a lovely family, I want to look after them and make sure they have a great life here.

"I'm a completely different person. I would say most people when they're 39 are very different to when they were 16 as well."

Looking ahead, Uffindell says he's keen to push four-laning of State Highway 29 all the way to SH1 and progress his personal goal of making Tauranga the best city in New Zealand for technology.

Whether such plans come to fruition is something only time will tell.

For now, Uffindell is keen to move on from his stormy start as MP and focus on the future.