A former flatmate of new Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell says he engaged in aggressive and intimidatory behaviour when drunk or high on drugs.
The alleged actions took place in a student flat in Dunedin in 2003.
The woman told RNZ’s Morning Report that Uffindell was an aggressive bully who once pounded on her bedroom door screaming obscenities until she fled through her bedroom window.
The woman told RNZ Uffindell engaged in a ‘pattern of behaviour’ during their second year at university. She said Uffindell would trash the house after ‘excessive’ use of alcohol and drugs. ‘It was a traumatising event…the freedom [of flatting] went to his head.’
‘This was intimidation. This was bullying. I didn’t feel safe,’ she said. ‘Listening to his maiden speech in Parliament, he talks about lack of accountability and a sense of impunity – I think that’s so hypocritical.’
Her father helped her move out the next day. He also spoke to RNZ about what happened.
‘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…It was clear [Uffindell] had real issues, real problems, he was out of control.’
Uffindell has denied the latest allegations. In a statement he said:
‘When I was a student at Otago I enjoyed a student lifestyle, which included drinking and, at times, smoking marijuana. While in second year a number of flatmates fell out – and two of the flatmates left midway through the year. 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.’
MP stood down as National start investigation
National Party leader Chris Luxon confirmed Uffindell would be stood down from caucus pending an investigation by Maria Dew QC. The investigation was expected to take two weeks.
Twitter reacts
Sam Uffindell explains the incident – basically he beat-up a third-former when he was in fifth form and got kicked out of school. He’s since apologised.
Why are we talking about this again? Oh yeah, to distract from Labour’s bad poll results. pic.twitter.com/Qt93rpeVMN
— Zeitgeist Politics ???????? (@ZeitgeistPOL) August 8, 2022
Please always remember Sam Uffindell was the BEST of the four candidates in the Natz selection for Tauranga!
Which begs the question – the other three??#NationalNotFitToGovern— Tony Veitch (@TonyVeitch1) August 9, 2022
Media frantically digging into Sam Uffindell‘s past.
Meanwhile….. pic.twitter.com/DpMYWG25Kx— Suit and tie (@Suitandtie9999) August 9, 2022
Jacinda Ardern spends 5 years destroying a country, 2 and a half years ruining an economy, a year mandating away thousands of livelihoods and months of locking healthy people up; and the media are more upset about Sam Uffindell and something he did as a pimply youth 22 years ago?
— Angus (@ajpoleary) August 9, 2022
It's now blatantly clear the MSM have coordinated & planned this hit-piece on Sam Uffindell
The MSM are doing Labour's job, while Labour sit silently smirking
Labour know they'd be called out as hypocrites with the likes of Mallard & others
But we see thru the MSM & Labour????
— SayinMinds (@SayinMinds) August 9, 2022
No problem with @NZStuff and @kirsty_johnston article on Sam Uffindell. Just the timing.
Stuff has received millions in govt funding and the story drops just 3hrs before bad polling results for Labour are released. The optics look absolutely terrible for Stuff.— Suit and tie (@Suitandtie9999) August 8, 2022
I went to school with bullies you like @samuffindell – they beat me so badly once with tennis rackets that I still have scars on my legs. You have no place in New Zealand parliament. @NZNationalParty #NationalNotFitToGovern #NationalPartyofBullies
— K a t z i ????️???? (@CaelKatzi) August 8, 2022
They’ve opened a can of worms. When the headlines should be about National’s rising poll numbers instead they're all about this idiot. https://t.co/cgObYs8puN
— Cam Slater (@kaiviti_cam) August 9, 2022
What's the media's end goal?
Destroy Sam Uffindell until he reaches breaking point?
Like they did with Martin Devlin?
Media are a pack of c**ts.
— Car Pie (@MaryAnneGrace9) August 9, 2022
Sam Uffindell should not Resign! https://t.co/bWElqOEatq via @Change
— Jason Parry (@JasonParry10) August 9, 2022
Sam Uffindell has been stood down after new allegations emerged of drinking and aggressive behaviour at Uni.
The allegations seem pretty tame, and Christopher Luxon ought to back his MP, rather than fueling the controversy by saying it’s “very serious” – it’s weak leadership. pic.twitter.com/ZiUtXTkhdP
— Zeitgeist Politics ???????? (@ZeitgeistPOL) August 9, 2022
I’m not team Sam Uffindell. I’m team fair, team anti-hypocrisy, team anti-double standards.
When the left start holding their leaders to such high levels of scrutiny maybe the conversation can shift. But for now- while they let mallard, mahuta and countless others off – no.
— Malakai™️ (@saltyreigns) August 9, 2022
Sam Uffindell: I punched someone when I was 16 and got expelled.
Jacinda Ardern: I mandated a vaccine, that had no long-term pregnancy safety data, and forced female nurses and teachers to take it or lose their jobs. #ArdernOut— Sócrates (@82Socrates) August 9, 2022
New Zealand has “growing culture of lawlessness, lack of accountability, a sense of impunity,” says Sam Uffindell, the Pākehā man who joined a group to beat a young boy and has beat other students too. The same National MP wants to get tough on crime – baby, you are the criminal.
— Shaneel Lal ???????? (They/Them) (@shaneellall) August 9, 2022
People can give National all the abuse they want about Sam Uffindell but the Prime Minister started a relationship with a known drug user while she was an MP and promoted a rape-denier to Ministerial posts.
— Samuel Hill (@SamuelHillNZ) August 8, 2022
If Sam Uffindell's career survives this thing, I want the entire NZ press corp to give Metiria Turei a formal and grovelling apology.#nzpol
— Dr Omega Omega (@DrOmegaOmega) August 9, 2022
Sam Uffindell was suspended from caucus 185 hours after giving his maiden speech. Not sure if that’s a record.
— Thomas Coughlan (@coughlthom) August 9, 2022
????Stop this lynch mobbing of Sam for left’s political gain. These bottom feeders can’t get away by their dirty tactics. Sam Uffindell should not Resign! – Sign the Petition! I’m not even a National voter at this point but this ain’t ok. https://t.co/RCEth3APtI via @Change
— Gilda kirkpatrick (@Strange_G) August 9, 2022
Sam Uffindell:
– Admitted when he was a child that he was a bully.
– Met his wife at Uni and has raised 3 lovely children with her
-Fought international financial crime.
– Apologised as an adult to the child he bullied
– Was elected to serve his country.Shouldnt he be PM?
— truereckons1 (@truereckons1) August 8, 2022
Let them who is without sin cast the first stone.
What’s got into Luxon? The Labour gulliblement are rotten to the core. Who sold out NZ to Mahuta?
Childish behaviour needs to be forgiven and forgotten. The present is much more critical–what’s happened to a once functional Public Service? They are there to provide a structure for executive govt not continuous hui.
Childish behaviour needs to be forgiven and forgotten? beating random children with clubs maybe forgiven in some cases when the perp suffers the consequences at the time of the crime (being asked to leave one elite school and walking into another is not a consequence) but they should not be forgotten, if this had happened on the street then he would have got a criminal conviction but his parents had the cash to have him in a school that would protect him from the consequences. Well school is out and its a different world out here, he should have stayed under his rock like his mates did.
Its just a right of passage to being a ruling Elite, a well worn path followed by our betters, Alphas gotta Alpha right?
Meh happened to all of us.
We had one flatmate we called ‘hideous Carl’ while at uni. In the end we all stopped talking to him and he left of his own accord. Funnily enough my husband had one flatmate they called ‘hideous Dave’. Even my son had one guy who was dealing drugs out of his room. Unfortunately sometimes you find yourself with not so savoury characters.
It is what it is.
If you don’t want a party house then choose better flatmates. Whinging to media 20 years later is just sad and pathetic and getting your dad to also do the same says it’s all really.
Imagine how effective it would have been if Uffindell has used his imperfect past in the speech to the house.
Bully Trevor Mallard vs Bully Sam Uffindell
In my honest opinion, the way Trevor Mallard has conducted himself – particularly in his role running Parliament (not just in the debating chamber but running the whole complex), he has shown himself to be nothing short of a bully.
John MacDonald, Canterbury Mornings host on Newstalk ZB Christchurch
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion-attention-pm-how-you-deal-bully
John MacDonald, Canterbury Mornings host on Newstalk ZB Christchurch
Luxton in my opinion was right. “He pointed out that simply having made mistakes in the past didn’t mean someone couldn’t be an MP.” I, and I believe most of the good cannot in good faith cast any stone if they themselves are without something they did in their past. All be it without being on record. I want leaders who have made mistakes and learned from them. I do not want leaders who made mistakes and got away with it just because they were not formally recorded. Furthermore the person who brought it up, in my opinion was just trying to ruin this mans life for personal gain. That’s the real crime. Mr Sam Uffindell, with your life experience, you are most welcomed to lead me and my family to prosperity and success.