National MP for Tauranga Sam Uffindell fronting the media at Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
When Sam Uffindell was selected as National's candidate for the Tauranga byelection earlier this year, he described himself as hard-working, dedicated, and having "a vision for this city".
On June 18, the majority of voters appeared to back that. The 38-year-old won the byelection in a landslide victory before the clock hit 9pm.
But his fall from grace has been swift.
Two months later, the freshly minted MP this week described himself as a former schoolboy thug and "bully", who had hurt people.
The admission came after a victim of his aggression spoke out, saying a 16-year-old Uffindell beat him up — he believed using an unscrewed bed leg — when he was 13 years old in 1999. Uffindell has admitted punching a boy but said he did not recall bed legs being used.
So who is Uffindell?
As an Auckland teenager, Uffindell attended the prestigious Kings' College, playing rugby for the school's 7A team and cricket for the school's 6A1 team.
After the beating incident, he was asked to leave and went to St Pauls' Collegiate in Hamilton. At this school, he was suspended for three days for leaving the property without permission.
He went to the University of Otago, earning a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours). He later gained a Master of International Law and International Relations from the University of New South Wales. He has diplomas in financial planning and applied anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.
Uffindell spent 15 years in banking, working and living in New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore, where he worked as vice-president for the local office of Deutsche Bank.
He married wife Julia, who is from Tauranga, and they had a daughter, Lily, while living overseas. In 2020 the family returned to New Zealand, where two more children - Zippora and Teddy - were born.
Online business records link him to an address in Pāpāmoa, before the family eventually settled in Paengaroa. Uffindell took on a role as head of financial economic crime for Rabobank NZ.
A Rabobank NZ spokesman said Uffindell joined the bank in February 2022 and served in the role until his resignation to become MP in June.
During an interview in May this year, Uffindell said one of the first things on returning to New Zealand, after completing the mandatory Covid-19 isolation, was to renew his membership with the National Party.
He got involved in the 2020 election in the Bay of Plenty electorate; helping to knock on doors, putting up signs and even becoming a human hoarding for Bay MP Todd Muller.
Uffindell became National's chairman of the Bay of Plenty electorate and held fundraising dinners.
In the same interview, Uffindell was asked what school he went to and he said St Paul's Collegiate School.
Despite the turmoil of Muller's 53-day stint as National leader in 2020, Uffindell remained active within the local National family.
Uffindell told the New Zealand Herald he estimated he apologised to his victim in the Kings bashing just after Easter in 2021 - more than 20 years after the incident.
In June that year, Muller announced he would not stand in the next election, following an admission he had been an anonymous source in an article criticising National MP Harete Hipango. The revelation prompted tensions between himself and then-party leader Judith Collins.
Muller said at the time he wanted to give the National Party plenty of time to select a new candidate for his seat.
However, Muller changed his position after another change of National Party leadership, which removed Collins and brought Christopher Luxon to the helm.
In March this year, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges announced his shock resignation, prompting a byelection. Uffindell was one of four National candidates vying to be selected by the party. He was successful, and ultimately won the byelection in the safe National seat.
During his campaign, Uffindell said he wanted Tauranga to become New Zealand's best city by 2030 through setting up tech startups locally, and cracking down on crime.
"On the law and order front, we need to put community safety first. We need to stop pandering to gangs, we need to stop letting criminals slide by without accountability and we need to back our police," he said.
Uffindell proposed a bill to ban gangs from riding in convoy in Mount Maunganui specifically. He also spoke against the appointment of Tauranga City Council's commissioners.
In a byelection candidate Q&A, the Bay of Plenty Times asked him what he considered his biggest mistake. He responded: "Not coming home to New Zealand sooner. There's nowhere we'd rather raise our kids."
Asked what advice he would give his 18-year-old self, he replied: "Don't grow that straggly ginger mullet at uni then wonder why Julia doesn't fancy you."
Aside from his banking and political work, Uffindell also an owner and director of local agribusiness New Zealand HuMates, which provides soil quality products to farmers and growers. He described spending his downtime with family and friends, running and growing avocados.
On byelection night, Uffindell was joined by his sister Daisy, brother Harry and parents Peter and Jennifer, some of whom travelled from Australia to celebrate.
At his event that night, held at the upmarket Tauranga Club, Uffindell's first words as the city's new MP were to thank people for coming, and thank his contenders, Labour list MP Jan Tinetti and Act candidate Cameron Luxton. He then spoke to party leader Luxon.
"Chris, it's so fantastic to have you over here and through the campaign. Mate, I'm really looking forward to being part of your team."
Also present were then-National Party president Peter Goodfellow, Muller, Rotorua MP Todd McClay and Coromandel MP Scott Simpson, who all supported the newcomer.
In his speech, Uffindell spoke of the 22 National MPs who visited the city during his campaign.
His message to the people who voted him in "and those who didn't" was "I'm here for you and I'm going to deliver for you".
"I'm going to get our roads improved and tackle crime and gangs. We're going to ease the cost of living crisis, and we're going to work to restore local democracy.
Uffindell said he wanted "Tauranga to be the greatest city to work, play, and raise a family in New Zealand and that's where we are heading".
Since then, school holidays and Covid-19 hit the Uffindell household, but last week, he was sworn in and made his maiden speech to Parliament.
In it, Uffindell said it was an "absolute honour" to be able to rise and speak in the House and the role of MP was a "special privilege".
He also spoke of being proud to be part of a party that embraced equal citizenship and championed "personal responsibility".
"That is why I am here. I didn't come to Wellington to be a career Parliamentarian. I came here to fight for the people of Tauranga and to ensure that my children grow up in a New Zealand better than the one we returned to in 2020."
He talked about being taught as a child to "play to win", and loving that. Uffindell ended his speech with a message for his children, saying "I am ultimately here because I want to improve our country for you and for your children... I hope I make you all proud".
The bashing at Kings was revealed on Monday. On Tuesday night allegations by an ex-flatmate from university of his bullying and intimidatory behaviour were published by RNZ.
The flatmate said Uffindell had been an aggressive bully who once pounded on her bedroom door, screaming obscenities, until she fled through her window. He would trash the house after "excessive" use of alcohol and drugs, she said. "This was intimidation. This was bullying. I didn't feel safe."
Uffindell has denied any accusations he was involved in bullying or intimidatory behaviour while at university. In a statement, Uffindell said he enjoyed a student lifestyle while at university, which included "drinking" and "smoking marijuana". He added: "While in second-year a number of flatmates fell out — and two of the flatmates left midway through the year".
He said he wouldn't comment further while the investigation was carried out.
By Wednesday, Uffindell was returning home from Wellington having been stood down from National's caucus by Luxon, pending an investigation into "very concerning accusations" about his past behaviour.
The investigation into the latest allegations will be conducted by Maria Dew QC and is expected to take two weeks.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.