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.
Premium
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga byelection: Christopher Luxon and Sam Uffindell on gangs, bus violence, Covid and the Queen

Bay of Plenty Times
3 Jun, 2022 08:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

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

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Sam Uffindell and Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mead Norton

Sam Uffindell and Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mead Norton

Tauranga byelection candidate Sam Uffindell says former gang members support his bid to ban gang convoys on the city's roads.

Uffindell made the comments alongside National Party leader Christopher Luxon during a walk through downtown Mount Maunganui on Friday.

At the Mount Ocean Sports Club, Uffindell told reporters his idea for a member's bill to ban gang convoys from Tauranga roads was supported by former gang members.

The bill idea was labelled "utterly ineffectual" by gang expert Jarrod Gilbert.

Uffindell said a couple of former gang members had told the party the bill would help remove gangs from the streets and stop convoys being used as a recruitment tool.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Tauranga byelection candidate Sam Uffindell and National leader Christopher Luxon during a walk through Mount Maunganui. Photo / Mead Norton
Tauranga byelection candidate Sam Uffindell and National leader Christopher Luxon during a walk through Mount Maunganui. Photo / Mead Norton

Luxon said National also wanted a dedicated gang task force, firearm prohibition orders to be able to go after illegal guns in New Zealand and a review of the police pursuit policy.

Uffindell said he and National MP Mark Mitchell spoke to Tauranga bus drivers at a public meeting on Monday about the recent spate of violence and aggressive behaviour at the city's bus stops.

In the latest incident, a bus driver was punched after asking a youth boarding the bus to put a face mask on, leaving the driver concussed and traumatised, according to a union representative.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Uffindell said the bus drivers they spoke to were terrified. Some of their colleagues had been beaten up and they spent every day working in fear.

"People shouldn't have to go about their lives living like that."

Sam Uffindell and Christopher Luxon in Mount Maunganui, speaking to Josie Land and son Rome, 9, with their dog Boogie. Photo / Mead Norton
Sam Uffindell and Christopher Luxon in Mount Maunganui, speaking to Josie Land and son Rome, 9, with their dog Boogie. Photo / Mead Norton

On four new cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.5 and one case of BA.4 being detected in the community, Luxon said the challenge was to have a risk-adjusted approach.

"As each variant comes up we need to understand what it means and put the right mitigations in place."

The National Party leader said he planned to watch some of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on television.

"The Queen has been an outstanding public servant for New Zealand and Commonwealth and an inspiration to many people around the world."

Luxon said he was comfortable with New Zealand's current constitutional arrangements as part of the Commonwealth.

"The reality is there is no appetite for change."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Saying they’d kill the guy': Youths storm library after homeless man accused of touching girl

Bay of Plenty Times

'Sleepless nights for days': Newest Lotto multimillionaires' bedtime surprise

Bay of Plenty Times

Police taser alleged sword-wielder after 13-hour standoff


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Saying they’d kill the guy': Youths storm library after homeless man accused of touching girl
Bay of Plenty Times

'Saying they’d kill the guy': Youths storm library after homeless man accused of touching girl

CCTV footage and evidence were handed over to police for investigation.

04 Sep 03:01 AM
'Sleepless nights for days': Newest Lotto multimillionaires' bedtime surprise
Bay of Plenty Times

'Sleepless nights for days': Newest Lotto multimillionaires' bedtime surprise

03 Sep 11:30 PM
Police taser alleged sword-wielder after 13-hour standoff
Bay of Plenty Times

Police taser alleged sword-wielder after 13-hour standoff

03 Sep 09:25 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
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