Sam Uffindell: Neighbours, locals in Bay of Plenty defend embattled Tauranga MP

Neighbours and Bay locals are defending embattled Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, saying that he should not lose his job over things he did as a teenager.

"Everybody deserves a second chance to prove they are better people as adults," said one.

Their comments come as Uffindell's political future with the National Party was in doubt after leader Christopher Luxon refused to confirm if the new MP will stay on if allegations about his behaviour at university are substantiated.

Uffindell denies the allegations of aggression and intimidatory behaviour made by a female former flatmate. He has been stood down from caucus pending an investigation.

If an electorate MP resigned from Parliament at this point, a by-election would be held. A by-election will only not happen if the vacancy is within six months of an election and 75 per cent of MPs agree to leave the position vacant.

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It comes amid a revelation Luxon's office knew of Uffindell's 1999 King's College bullying incident, but did not inform the party leader in a "regrettable" but "genuine" mistake.

It was understood Uffindell was yesterday travelling from Wellington back to his home in Paengaroa, driven by fellow MP Todd Muller who had been a mentor to the young politician.

When the Bay of Plenty Times visited the Uffindells' home yesterday, no one answered the door.

A man who identified himself as a neighbour came and shut their front gate.

"This is their family home, so don't go and disrespect that. My only take on the story is the fact that none of us can look back on our lives and say as a teenager or what not, we never did anything wrong," he said.

A former neighbour to the Uffindells, Olivia Heijkoop, described them as a "lovely family".

"Sam was a nice guy and our children used to play together," the 36-year-old said.

Heijkoop said she did not believe Uffindell should resign as an MP for what he did as a 16-year-old, beating up a 13 year-old fellow student at King's College.

"I think he deserved to be given a second chance to prove himself."

National MP for Tauranga Sam Uffindell fronting the media at Parliament on Tuesday. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Heijkoop said she would want to know more about the second complaint before commenting on those allegations.

Another resident in the street described publication of these revelations as "media trying to push s*** uphill to put the boot in" to the National Party MP.

A Paengaroa neighbour of the Uffindells, who asked not to be named, said she had only known the family for a few months since moving to the area.

"I think they are a loving family. I don't think the mistake that Sam has admitted and apologised for is a sackable offence.

"People change as they get older and everybody deserves a second chance to prove they are better people as adults ... I don't think Sam should have to resign."

In relation to the second complainant, the woman said "there were always two sides to every story".

"People should suspend their judgment until the party's investigation has been completed."

Customers spoken to at the Paengaroa shopping centre yesterday had mixed views about whether Uffindell should keep his job.

A Maketu man, who asked not to be identified, said in his view: "Sam doesn't deserve to be an MP, he should resign."

Paengaroa resident Joban Singh said he believed the mistakes a person made as a teenager should not be held against them for the rest of their lives, even if that person was now a politician.

"I'm more interested in the party's policies not what a candidate did wrong when they were a teenager. None of us can say we did everything 100 per cent right as a youth. Sam Uffindell has apologised for his actions, and I think everybody deserves to be given a second chance to prove themselves."

Singh said it should be left up to the National Party to decide whether Uffindell stayed on as MP or resigned.

National has said an investigation into the latest allegations would be conducted by Maria Dew QC and was expected to take two weeks.

National leader Christopher Luxon fronting the media at Parliament on Tuesday. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Ahead of Question Time yesterday, Luxon would not give his opinion to reporters on whether Uffindell should resign following the allegations revealed on Tuesday.

He also revealed a member of his staff was told of the 1999 King's College bullying incident by byelection campaign chairman Todd McClay after Uffindell was selected as National's candidate - but in a "genuine mistake" the staffer did not tell Luxon.

"That is regrettable and it's a mistake," Luxon said.

Luxon defended McClay, saying he had done "nothing wrong".

He described the allegations against Uffindell as "very serious".

"I want to have a dispassionate, independent investigation, there are two sides to this story, this allegation, and at the end of it, I'll take those findings and I'll make a decision."

As an electorate MP, Uffindell would have to agree to resign from Parliament for another byelection to take place.

While National could eject him from its caucus, he would be able stay on as an independent MP unless National invoked the waka jumping legislation – which allows it to kick out an MP in such a circumstance.

If an MP resigns, their seat becomes vacant and a byelection is usually held.

A byelection cannot happen within six months of Parliament's three-year term ending, or within six months of a general election.

At least 75 per cent of all members of Parliament must agree the vacancy will not be filled.

The National and Labour Party were asked if they had discussed with its members if they would vote to leave the seat free and if the cost of another byelection would be justified. A Labour spokesman said it had not considered the matter as there was not a vacancy in the seat.

An Electoral Commission spokeswoman said the cost of the recent Tauranga byelection was about $1.2 million.

A second would cost about the same.

Public Relations Institute of New Zealand chief executive Elaine Koller said the second allegation involving Uffindell's behaviour towards a former flatmate made things "a little more difficult".

"People who might have initially accepted the apology may not be as believing ... it's a matter of really showing that behaviour is no longer part of you or you have taken steps to remedy this."

Koller said people were understanding of those who made mistakes, particularly when they were young.

"But if they perceive this to be an ongoing pattern of behaviour, they might not be as accepting of the apology."

In a question and answer during the byelection campaign, the Bay of Plenty Times asked candidates about their biggest mistake.

Asked if Uffindell should have mentioned the King's College assault then, Koller said "I think so".

"When you're running for public office, you would expect that things will come out that you might not want to and so you're going to have address those.

"And I think it is easier to address those if you front foot it and really demonstrate what you have done to move on from that and how you have changed."

At a stand-up on Tuesday, Luxon said Uffindell's admission to the assault during selection had triggered deeper background checks.

"There was a deep exploration of this issue with Sam."

Asked what this background check involved, National Party President Sylvia Wood said the selection process was run in accordance with the National Party rules, which required confidentiality.

"However, it is now clear that process could be further improved, and we are looking at how best to achieve that."

• A previous version of this article said if Uffindell resigned, the Tauranga MP position could stay vacant until the next election, provided 75 per cent of MPs decided not to have another byelection.

- Additional reporting Adam Pearse