Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Sam Uffindell in 'good shape' says Todd Muller

Thomas Coughlan
By Thomas Coughlan
Political Editor·NZ Herald·
30 Aug, 2022 12:26 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

National MP for Tauranga Sam Uffindell was stood down from caucus pending an inquiry into allegations he was an aggressive bully while at university. Photo / Mark Mitchell

National MP for Tauranga Sam Uffindell was stood down from caucus pending an inquiry into allegations he was an aggressive bully while at university. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell is in "pretty good shape" according to friend and colleague Todd Muller.

Muller is the MP for the neighbouring Bay of Plenty electorate and has been watching out for Uffindell since he was stood down from caucus pending an inquiry into allegations he was an aggressive bully while at university and once pounded on a flatmate's door, screaming obscenities at her.

Uffindell has admitted he was a bully at school and was asked to leave King's College after beating a younger student.

Muller drove Uffindell back home from Wellington after he was stood down. He said he had been texting Uffindell "every second or third day".

"It's tough, as you'd all understand it would be tough to go through a process like this," Muller said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Muller said any advice he gave to Uffindell would not be divulged publicly. He said Uffindell had not talked to him about resigning.

Muller said he had "visibility" on Uffindell because "I'm a fellow local MP and my office staff and his office staff talk regularly and they're receiving queries and resolving it as you'd expect they would do".

On Monday, National said the investigation into Uffindell would take longer than the initial two-week timeframe after the investigator, Maria Dew QC, requested more time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Muller said he was supporting Uffindell "as a friend - and I continue to support him as a friend".

"I've known him for about three years now," he said.

Muller said he got to know Uffindell when he arrived back in New Zealand after living overseas.

"He put his hand up to help me in the campaign of 2020 ... which was a touch ropey and I needed all the support I could get in the Bay of Plenty," Muller said.

"He was a great supporter," he said.

Muller said Uffindell had not been shoulder tapped for the Bay of Plenty seat after Muller had announced he would be retiring - Muller subsequently changed his decision.

He said Uffindell had not been angling for his seat.

"That obviously was a pretty tough time for myself and the party was very supportive in fact both Sam and a number of the National Party constantly asked me to reconsider," Muller said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM

The Magic play the Pulse in the ANZ Premiership at Baypark Arena on Saturday.

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP