Sam Uffindell
MP
Uffindell in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Tauranga
Assumed office
18 June 2022
Preceded bySimon Bridges
Majority6,038
Personal details
BornSeptember 1983 (age 40)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyNational (since 2008)
Spouse
Julia
​
(m. 2015)​
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Otago
University of New South Wales

Samuel Julian Uffindell (born September 1983) is a New Zealand politician and former international banking executive. He has been a Member of Parliament for Tauranga, representing the National Party, since winning a by-election in June 2022. He is best-known for a controversy shortly after his election.

Uffindell was expelled from a high school for participating in a violent attack on a younger student. This attack was made public in 2022, after his election to Parliament. After this, and another accusation about Uffindell's behaviour while at university, the party temporarily stood him down from its caucus. The party commissioned an independent investigation; while it was not made public, the party concluded that the allegations from his university time were not as publicly reported and reinstated him to the caucus.

Early life

Uffindell was born in Auckland in September 1983. His father was a computer company entrepreneur (UCC, a Dell reseller[1]) and his mother was later an English lecturer.[2]

He attended King's College, but at age sixteen was expelled after participating in a violent attack on a younger student. The victim, who was 13, suffered severe bruising and trauma. Police were not involved. After the matter came to light in 2022, Uffindell said he could not recall if he and the other attackers used wooden bed legs as a weapon, but could not rule it out.[3][4] He later acknowledged the attack, saying he was “a thug”.[5]

Uffindell finished his schooling at St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton. At this school, he was suspended for three days for leaving the property without permission.[6]

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies and a Bachelor of Commerce in Management at the University of Otago. While at university, he and his flatmates competed in an online competition for Dunedin's filthiest flat, and city health inspectors visited three times.[7] After university, he worked in banking for ten years in Sydney and in Singapore, including working in financial crime at Westpac and becoming a vice president at Deutsche Bank.[8][9] He gained a Master of International Law and International Relations from the University of New South Wales.[9] Uffindell returned to New Zealand in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. As of early 2022 he was the head of financial economic crime for Rabobank New Zealand, and was a partner in his wife's fertiliser supply business.[9]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
2022–2023 53rd Tauranga National
2023–present 54th Tauranga 57 National

Election to parliament

Uffindell has been a member of the National Party since 2008.[10] In 2021, he became the Papamoa Branch chair and the Bay of Plenty deputy electorate chair of the party.[9] He put his name forward for the National candidacy in the 2022 Tauranga by-election following the resignation of Simon Bridges in March 2022, and was officially announced as their candidate on 1 May.[10][11] Uffindell was a clear favourite for the election; Labour had not won the Tauranga electorate seat since 1935 and New Zealand First, the only party other than National to hold Tauranga since then, not standing a candidate.[12] Uffindell's opponents in the by-election included sitting Labour List MP and cabinet minister Jan Tinetti and ACT New Zealand candidate Cameron Luxton.

The 2022 by-election gave Uffindell an outright majority of 56%. He received 11,613 votes to Tinetti's 5,259 and Luxton's 2,133.[13][14] He was sworn in on 2 August 2022 and gave his maiden speech that day.[15][16]

Political positions

After the by-election, Uffindell announced that improving Tauranga's roads and tackling gang crime in the city would be his top priorities in parliament. He also announced that he planned to lodge a member's bill which would make participation in gang convoys a finable offence.[17]

Before entering parliament, Uffindell promoted organic fertiliser as a useful offset for the adverse effects of climate change, and as a way for farmers to respond to levies or caps on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.[18]

A few months after he entered parliament, Uffindell was appointed by the National Party as its associate spokesperson for research, science, and innovation, and associate for economic and regional development.[19]

Investigation into bullying

On 9 August 2022, Uffindell's attack on a 13-year-old student when he was 16 was made public. That day, Uffindell said, "It was the last day of the year and we were just being silly and playing up... we got carried away and we did what we did."[3] School representatives confirmed that it had been an "open and shut case", and Uffindell confirmed that it was the worst of several acts of violence he committed while at high school.[20] Uffindell offered the victim an apology in 2021, 22 years after the attack, and nine months before he publicly announced his political aspirations.[3] Leader of the National Party Christopher Luxon said he had not been aware of Uffindell's assault on the boy until the day before, stating "He has my backing and he has my support but clearly he needs to be able to build back trust with the voters in Tauranga, and make sure that he is ... demonstrating as we go into the next election – that he's a person of good character".[4]

Later on 9 August, allegations of a separate bullying incident were made public. A woman who flatted with Uffindell in 2003 alleged Uffindell was a bully who once pounded on her bedroom door, screaming obscenities, until she fled through her window. Uffindell denied these bullying allegations but did say he "enjoyed a student lifestyle", including drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis.[21][22][23] He rejected accusations that he engaged in behaviour that was intimidatory or bullying.[24] On 11 August, it was reported that Uffindell's Dunedin flat, when he was at Otago University, was one of the filthiest in the city and that women's underwear had hung on a wall, apparently as trophies. National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis said the photo of the "trophy" rack made her feel "pretty yuck."[25]

Uffindell was stood down from the party's caucus from 9 August to 19 September while these allegations were investigated.[6] The investigation, conducted by Maria Dew KC, was originally intended to take two weeks,[6] but took six. The National Party announced the results the day of the Queen's funeral, saying that Dew's report found that while the attack at King's College was substantiated, the other allegations against Uffindell about his behaviour as a university student towards a female flatmate in Dunedin were not as reported; there were differing accounts and the allegations could not be substantiated. Uffindell was reinstated into the party caucus.[26]

National Party president Sylvia Wood said that neither the report, the investigation's terms of reference, nor the executive summary would be released to the National Party MPs or to the public; Luxon stated that he could be trusted to represent the findings.[27] Only Wood, Luxon and Uffindell saw the report; deputy party leader Nicola Willis was excluded from the conversations and decisions about what conclusion would ultimately be presented to caucus.[28] The former flatmate who had accused him of bullying, and her father, responded by saying they were happy for a redacted form of the report to be published.[29]

2023 election

For the 2023 general election, National placed Uffindell 57th on its party list. Stuff reporter Glenn McConnell described this as a "big drop" but noted he was standing in the "winnable electorate" of Tauranga.[30]

The National Party media team "blocked interview requests" for him during the campaign,[31] after he proudly stated that he did his family’s grocery shopping once a month "to give his wife a break".[32] Implications in the speech that it was a woman’s job to do chores were mocked online and satirised.[33]

In the 2023 election, the Tauranga electorate gave Uffindell 9,370 votes more than Labour's candidate Jan Tinetti.[34]

Personal life

Uffindell met his wife Julia at the University of Otago. They married in Tauranga in 2015 and have three children.

Together they have invested[9] in the business New Zealand Humates, founded in 2006 to import manufacture and supply a coal-based fertiliser.[35] The Uffindells have a majority shareholding in the New Zealand Carbon Company Ltd.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "Computer reseller has $1.9m in debts". NZ Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Sam Uffindell: National's new Tauranga candidate". SunLive. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Johnston, Kirsty (8 August 2022). "National MP Sam Uffindell 'asked to leave' prestigious King's College after violent nighttime attack on younger boy". Stuff.
  4. 1 2 "Luxon backs Uffindell, but says attack should have been made public". Radio New Zealand. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  5. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (19 September 2022). "What we know – and don't know – about the Sam Uffindell bullying claims". Stuff. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Gillespie, Kiri (11 August 2022). "Sam Uffindell stood down: National's new Tauranga MP's rise and fall from grace". New Zealand Herald.
  7. ↑ Francis, Oscar. "Sam Uffindell stood down: National MP's student flat was one of filthiest in Dunedin". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Sam Uffindell: Timeline from boarding school to political scandal". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Crawford, Rosalie Liddle (1 May 2022). "Sam Uffindell: National's new Tauranga candidate". SunLive. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 Gillespie, Kiri (29 April 2022). "Tauranga byelection: Top four National contenders to replace Simon Bridges named". Bay of Plenty Times. The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sam Uffindell to run for National in Tauranga by-election". 1 News. TVNZ. 1 May 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Whitten, Connor (4 June 2022). "Tauranga by-election: On the campaign trail and behind the scenes with National, ACT and Labour". Newshub. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Tauranga – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "National's Uffindell easily wins Tauranga by-election". Radio New Zealand. 18 June 2022. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "Tuesday, 2 August 2022". Parliamentary Debates. Vol. 761. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  16. ↑ Parker, Talia (2 August 2022). "Tauranga's new MP Sam Uffindell sworn in, delivers maiden speech to Parliament". Bay of Plenty Times. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "New Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell's priorities tackling crime and gangs, easing cost of living". Radio New Zealand. 19 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
  18. ↑ Group, Organic Dairy Pastoral (26 November 2020). "Humates, Soil Fertility and Organic Farming". Organic Dairy & Pastoral Group. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "National confirms Sam Uffindell's new roles". Otago Daily Times Online News. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  20. ↑ Halpin, James (9 August 2022). "Principal who asked Sam Uffindell to leave King's says case was 'open and shut'". Stuff. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  21. ↑ McCulloch, Craig (9 August 2022). "National MP Sam Uffindell stood down from caucus while more allegations investigated". RNZ.
  22. ↑ Anderson, Ryan (9 August 2022). "National MP Sam Uffindell stood down after more allegations surface". Stuff. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  23. ↑ "'Very concerning accusations': Uffindell stood down following more allegations". NZ Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  24. ↑ "National MP Sam Uffindell stood down after more allegations surface". Stuff. 9 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "Sam Uffindell stood down: National leaders condemn underwear trophies at Uffindell's student flat". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  26. ↑ Neilson, Michael (20 September 2022). "Bullying report: National MP Sam Uffindell allegations unproven, back in party but long-term future uncertain". NZ Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  27. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (20 September 2022). "'They trust me': Christopher Luxon says there's no need to release Sam Uffindell report details". Stuff.
  28. ↑ Moir, Jo (23 September 2022). "Nicola Willis strikingly absent from Uffindell report". Newsroom. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  29. ↑ "Sam Uffindell's accusers happy for report on MP's conduct to be made public". RNZ. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  30. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (19 August 2023). "National Party announces election list, minus Michael Woodhouse". Stuff. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  31. ↑ Chapman, Madeleine (3 September 2023). "A close analysis of Sam Uffindell in the National Party campaign video". The Spinoff.
  32. ↑ Ward, Tara (8 August 2023). "Thank you for doing the shopping, Sam Uffindell". The Spinoff.
  33. ↑ Quill, Annemarie (11 August 2023). "National MP Sam Uffindell blasted for sexism over supermarket habits". Stuff.
  34. ↑ "Tauranga - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "NZ Humates | Humate Soil Conditioner | Fulvic and Humic Acid". NZ Humates. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  36. ↑ "NEW ZEALAND CARBON COMPANY LIMITED – TAURANGA – NEW ZEALAND". www.companiesnz.com. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
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