National's new Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell has apologised for a late-night school assault which saw him expelled from a prestigious Auckland secondary college.
The 38-year-old called it "one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done and something I deeply regret".
Uffindell released a statement after Stuff report said he was expelled from Kings College as a Year 11 student after assaulting a younger boy with wooden bed legs.
In a statement released on Monday, Uffindell said he had "reflected on this incident multiple times over the 20 years since it occurred, and have no recollection of using anything other than my fists".
The Tauranga MP says he punched the younger boy multiple times and was forced to leave King’s College. (Source: 1News)
He admitted that he and three other students in his year "went into another dorm at the boarding house at the end of term" and assaulted a boy in year nine.
"I punched a younger student in the arm and body multiple times. We were subsequently asked to leave the school," he said.
"I’ve reflected on this incident multiple times over the 20 years since it occurred, and have no recollection of using anything other than my fists.
"Nevertheless, it’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done and something I deeply regret. I’ve worked hard to be a better person than I was as a teenager and to be a good role model to my children."
The 38-year-old Tauranga MP admitted to attacking a younger boy while in Year 11 at King's College. (Source: 1News)
Uffindell said he "called the person and apologised for the harm I’d caused" upon his return to New Zealand last year.
"We had a long conversation and I was grateful that he accepted my apology. My apology was genuine then, and it is genuine now.”
A National Party spokesperson said the party was proactively informed about this incident by Uffindell during the selection process.
"It was a significant event reflecting a serious error of judgment by a then 16-year-old for which he has apologised and regrets to this day," the spokesperson said.
Uffindell delivered his maiden speech as Tauranga's new MP last Tuesday after winning the by-election in June.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters in a post-Cabinet press conference on Monday afternoon that it is "up to the National Party and ultimately, Chris Luxon and the party leadership, how they conduct their own affairs".
"Yes, as leaders we need to be accountable for our members, our members’ conduct and what we know of our members’ conduct but again, it is for each party leader to hold that responsibility."
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson added that "violence and attacks on young people are things that we should all be very concerned about".
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