Sam Uffindell

National's newest MP has admitted he was kicked out of his boarding school as a teen for beating a younger student. The party knew of the incident during ...

"We had a long conversation and I was grateful that he accepted my apology. He had disclosed it fully and it was his "duty to the party" to be honest about it, he said. "I will have those discussions with our team down there.

The new Tauranga MP apologised 22 years after an attack in a school dormitory, and before he entered politics. But the victim has been left feeling used, ...

The internal inquiry into National’s 2020 election catastrophe, leaked to Vance, highlighted “weaknesses and errors” in candidate selection as a pressing problem. But, as Andrea Vance puts it in Blue Blood, her book documenting the bad times in the National Party, “a series of unsuitable candidate selections saw the party mired in scandal”. Think Jami-Lee Ross, Todd Barclay, Hamish Walker. Think Andrew Falloon, Jake Bezzant. One of the consistent themes in the National Party’s efforts to return to stability and success after the years of rancour and tumult that followed the departure of John Key and Bill English has been candidate selection. At least as important – and arguably linked – to a paucity of diversity is the question of character. It became remarkable only today, when it was reported that Uffindell had been “asked to leave” the exclusive Auckland boarding school King’s College in 1999 after violently beating a younger student. The victim told Stuff’s Kirsty Johnston: “I was covering my head … they were smashing me.” Photographs of his injuries later showed “this skinny little white kid covered in bruises”. Last year, 22 years on, Uffindell called him to apologise.

The violent nighttime attack happened over 20 years ago and emerged after reports Uffindell's victim had come forward.

Aged 16 as a Year 11 student at the exclusive Auckland boarding school, Uffindell and three others jumped on the then 13-year-old boy and began beating him with ...

"But then a few months later I sat down to watch the news on the couch with a beer and there he was, running for Parliament," the victim said. "We had a long conversation and I was grateful that he accepted my apology. Since that time, the College has not been involved in any follow-up activity with those involved, including the recent discussions reported in the article." "It was one of the silliest, stupidest things I've ever done. He said he fully disclosed the details to the National Party and was asked to "walk through" the story with the party when being considered as a candidate. He said he was gutted about the incident, "had taken ownership of it" and had thought about it for years.

National MP Sam Uffindell was asked to leave King's College while he was a student after he was involved in a late-night violent beating of a younger boy,

"But then a few months later I sat down to watch the news on the couch with a beer and there he was, running for Parliament," the victim said. The National Party is yet to comment. "It was one of the silliest, stupidest things I've ever done.

National MP Sam Uffindell was asked to leave King's College while he was a student after he was involved in a late-night violent beating of a younger boy,

National party MP Sam Uffindell apologised to his victim before being elected. The 1999 school case was only revealed by Stuff on Monday.

I do look to those causes of optimism - low unemployment, low relative debt and the fact that we have our borders, tourism coming back. Those things will give a boost.” “It’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done and something I deeply regret. “We had a long conversation and I was grateful that he accepted my apology. They get that and they see that. I felt sick,” the victim said, speaking anonymously.

Uffindell suspected he may have also tackled students before punching another.

"... a few months later I sat down to watch the news on the couch with a beer and there he was, running for Parliament," the victim said. Since that time, the College has not been involved in any follow-up activity with those involved, including the recent discussions reported in the article." There's nowhere we'd rather raise our kids". "We expected it to come out in the byelection at some stage and it didn't, but it's come out now and it is a highly regrettable and significant incident and I take full accountability for it." Uffindell said he was then asked to leave the school but he acknowledged it was a polite way of the school telling him he must leave. Confident he had given an accurate account, Uffindell said the party members recognised it was a serious incident but they reportedly appreciated Uffindell had been upfront and that he had apologised. During the selection process within the National Party ahead of the byelection, Uffindell submitted a written account of the incident to the nine members on the selection committee, whom he wasn't sure whether he could name while speaking with the Herald. Uffindell wasn't sure whether leader Christopher Luxon was informed of the incident when the party was informed and he hadn't spoken to the party leader today. The day after the incident, Uffindell said he was called to a meeting with the school headmaster John Taylor, his house master and his parents. When it didn't, Uffindell chose not to tell the public until it was revealed today - a decision he still stands by, despite saying he had "taken ownership" of the incident and it had made him grow as a person. "It was a significant event reflecting a serious error of judgment by a then 16-year-old for which he has apologised and regrets to this day," the statement read. A statement from the National Party said the party had been "proactively informed" about the incident by Uffindell during the selection process ahead of the Tauranga byelection.

It was revealed on Monday that Sam Uffindell had been expelled from Auckland's Kings College for his involvement in a late-night assault on a younger boy.

"It was a genuine apology. "It was my action, it was my fault. He described the incident as "still bugging on me". "Actions have consequences and I was sorry for the hurt I'd caused. "I feel like I've got a lot to contribute. "It's something I've regretted hugely ever since.

Simon Lamb, the headmaster of the exclusive boarding school, has distanced the school's current staff and administrators from the 1999 incident.

“I was covering my head … they were smashing me,” the victim said. “It was one of the silliest, stupidest things I’ve ever done. And those articles are free. “I went over to the person and punched them several times in the arm and the body and they were hurt,” Uffindell said. “The college does not wish to comment further on the article.” “The issue referred to in the Stuff article was a matter which the college dealt with 22 years ago,” he said in an email.

Sam Uffindell says there was "rough and tumble" when he was at King's College but the attack on a student was the most serious incident he was involved in ...

This [attack on the 13-year-old] is the most serious by a long way," he said. "If I thought that Sam was still the same man as he was when he was a 16 year old who committed this act then I don't think there would be a place for him in Parliament, however I see that he is extremely sincere in his regret, in his genuine apology and he has been upfront about what occurred. "It was a rough and tumble environment and I wasn't away from that and sometimes I was on the receiving end of it, it was just how it was. "I wanted to talk with him, I wanted to apologise and see how he felt and just see if I could work with him to get some closure on what was a significant event for both of us." "I was 16 and we raided the dorm of the third formers on the last night of the year and punched the victim a number of times in the arm and body and he was subsequently quite hurt from it and the school rightfully asked me to leave. "I deeply regret, and have since, my involvement in that and the impact it had on the person."

The National MP says he is "ashamed of the person" he was after revelations he was involved in a violent assault while at school.

On Tuesday, he said he wasn’t trying to hide from this past. They work for you, not the parties or people in power. I’ve learned a lot from the experience from 20 years ago.” “I'm ashamed of the person I was,” he said. Stuff on Monday reported Uffindell was asked to leave King's College for beating a boy. “He has my support.

Luxon stands by Uffindell, but says he should have been told of assault earlier.

"But then a few months later I sat down to watch the news on the couch with a beer and there he was, running for Parliament," the victim said. "We had a long conversation and I was grateful that he accepted my apology. "It was one of the silliest, stupidest things I've ever done. "Boarding houses in 1999, there was a bit of rough and tumble that went on... He did not know if King's College itself was contacted as part of that process, but stressed that Uffindell had told the party about it. He said he was gutted about the incident, "had taken ownership of it" and had thought about it for years. "That's a party matter. Luxon said he should have been informed earlier. That's their judgment. With the boy, he said he punched him a "bunch of times" in the arms and body. Luxon said Uffindell was now a person of "high integrity" and that a good MP "deserves a second chance". Luxon said it was important that the new MP was fronting up to explain the incident "and he's owning that".

The new Tauranga MP said, in hindsight, voters should have known about the incident.

"I was effectively a bully and I was a mean person. "I'm really not proud of who I was as a young person. I've got young children and one day they will be at school, and if stuff like this happened I would be very upset." "I was a 16-year-old and I made a big mistake. There will be other people as well at high-school that I have hurt one way or another. "We raided them with three other students and I punched a student numerous times in the arm and the body and they were hurt during that experience and subsequently I was asked to leave Kings' the next day," he said.

National MP Sam Uffindell has again given his version of what happened at the end of 1999, his fifth form. Uffindell said the bullying incident took place.

He did not know if King's College itself was contacted as part of that process, but stressed that Uffindell had told the party about it. Luxon said he should have been informed earlier. I've got young children and one day they will be at school, and if stuff like this happened I would be very upset." He said he apologised to those people as well. As I said, I was a bully at school and I'm not happy with that. "You can't blame King's at all. "At high school, I wasn't a great person, There will be other people I have hurt. I was a mean person. I was effectively a bully. He said as an adult, he was able to empathise now, and so he had made the move to apologise to the man he had beaten. He said the onus was on him to disclose it at pre-selection, and it was up to the party to decide how to handle it from there. He said it had changed his life, and had an impact on the person he had hit.

Party leader Christopher Luxon has conceded Tauranga voters should have been made aware of it before this year's by-election. Uffindell only apologised to the ...

National MP Sam Uffindell said he was a bully and "a 16-year-old thug" while in high school. Uffindell revealed his bullying behaviour culminated in an ...

He did not know if King's College itself was contacted as part of that process, but stressed that Uffindell had told the party about it. Luxon said he should have been informed earlier. I've got young children and one day they will be at school, and if stuff like this happened I would be very upset." He said he apologised to those people as well. As I said, I was a bully at school and I'm not happy with that. "You can't blame King's at all. "At high school, I wasn't a great person, There will be other people I have hurt. I was a mean person. I was effectively a bully. He said as an adult, he was able to empathise now, and so he had made the move to apologise to the man he had beaten. He said the onus was on him to disclose it at pre-selection, and it was up to the party to decide how to handle it from there. Uffindell said the attack on the 13-year-old had changed his life, and had an impact on the person he had hit.

National MP Sam Uffindell has admitted he was a bully in school and conceded he committed a crime when he violently assaulted a boy.

Sam Uffindell says he's not the same person he was 20 odd years ago after his involvement as a teenager in an attack on a younger student came to light.

I've got young children and one day they will be at school and if stuff like this happens I will be very upset." I think I just matured and developed empathy, which I didn't really have as a teenager." "Awful, frankly, really upsetting for everyone, my family, and you know what? I'm not proud of it at all and I've reflected on it a lot." I don't blame Kings at all, it's for me to own." "The last 24 hours have been awful, frankly, really upsetting for everyone, my family, and you know what?

Stuff broke the story yesterday of Uffindell beating a younger student at King's College. Last night the MP for Tauranga said he hadn't ruled out standing ...

The party was aware of the incident before selecting Uffindell to run for the seat and it was not disclosed to voters ahead of the by-election. In his Checkpoint interview, Uffindell said he disclosed the incident “fully” to the party in writing in April as they requested that kind of information and he “thought it would come up at some stage” if he was successful. The incident took place in 1999 and the victim says he thought the boys had been using wooden bed legs unscrewed from their dorm to beat him with.

National MP Sam Uffindell says he is not proud of the person he was at school, admitting he was a "bully" but says he is a changed man. The former ...

“I wouldn’t say [bullying] was common at all because there was such an awareness as to what was going on. Uffindell, who was 16 at the time, was part of a group that attacked the 13-year-old in 1999. He said the culture at King’s changed as New Zealand’s attitude towards bullying changed. “He has my support. And those articles are free. Taylor said Kings didn’t have a wider bullying problem at the time and the assault was an outlier that happened in the excitement of the end of the year.

The National Party MP only apologised to the victim last year, prompting questions about whether it was politically motivated. A petition is now calling for ...

The National Party has yet more questions to answer about its failures in candidate vetting and disclosure.

Luxon and his team have clearly decided sunlight, albeit late in arriving, is the best form of disinfectant. Reader donations are critical to what we do. This is far from the first time National’s candidate selection processes have been called into question. In the meantime, National has its own internal issues to tackle, as any further skeletons tumbling out of candidates’ closets will do further damage to the idea it is ready to return to power. It is hard to understand why none of the senior figures involved in the selection process - including former president Peter Goodfellow and Rotorua MP Todd McClay - advised the candidate to come clean to the public, rather than sitting on a scandal in the hopes it would never see the light. It is hard to understand why none of the senior figures involved in the selection process - including former president Peter Goodfellow and Rotorua MP Todd McClay - advised [Uffindell] to come clean to the public, rather than sitting on a scandal in the hopes it would never see the light.

Party leader Christopher Luxon announced the decision to stand the MP down late on Tuesday night, so an investigation into more allegations against him can ...

“I'm ashamed of the person I was,” he said. They work for you, not the parties or people in power. he was out of control.” “It was clear... There was no crockery left. I was scared.”

“This evening my office became aware of very concerning accusations made to RNZ about behaviour shown by Mr Uffindell toward a female flatmate in 2003 while at ...

While this process is underway, Mr Uffindell will be stood down from caucus. "While in second year, a number of flatmates fell out – and two of the flatmates left midway through the year," Uffindell said. “Mr Uffindell disputes the allegations and in the interests of natural justice, an independent investigation will now be undertaken to determine the facts.