Kate Hawkesby: No matter where it goes for Uffindell, there’s a bigger problem for National

 

So, Sam Uffindell has now been stood down from caucus while the National party investigates some new allegations that have come to light from when Uffindell was a uni student.

He's been accused of banging on the bedroom door of a female flatmate in 2003, screaming obscenities, she claims he was a bully. The former flatmate says she lived with Uffindell and three other students for several months in Dunedin in 2003, she says he was verbally aggressive. 

She says he excessively used alcohol and drugs, and that she didn't feel safe. She eventually moved out, her Dad corroborates her story. And there were other details reported like the flat had no furniture in it, handles had been broken off doors etc.

That part of the story I'm afraid is probably to this day the state of many Otago Uni student flats, if not worse. And you could mount an argument that that's flatting culture in a student town like Otago - students sitting around drinking, smoking weed, yelling obscenities, trashing flats. 

Doesn't make it right, I'm not defending it, but having had and continuing to have many family members through the flatting scene in Dunedin, that part's not that shocking.

It's a problem with Otago flatting culture and student party lifestyle and that's another story for another day. This incident and allegation is what counts and how this woman was made to feel. She says she was scared. She's clearly traumatised by it.

Uffindell has responded to the allegations by saying he did engage in a 'student lifestyle' but that he rejects any accusation that he engaged in behaviour that was intimidatory or bullying.

He says that simply did not happen. So it's his word against hers, hence a QC's now been hired to look into it independently, and in the interim, he steps aside.

The first thing that comes to mind for me here is that I believe Uffindell when he says he's not now the person he was back then, he sounds back then like a thug and a bully and frankly an idiot. I wouldn't have wanted a bar of it either if I was his flatmate.

But he does seem changed these days, and genuinely remorseful in the case of the Kings College incident, I mean he grew up obviously, and tried to make amends by way of an apology.

He has also in the past 24 hours said in interviews that there's nothing else - he was asked directly if there was anything else in his background that could come to light now, any other incidents of bullying, and he said no.

He denies these Otago Uni flat accusations, says it simply didn't happen. He says a number of flatmates fell out in the second year of uni and two of the flatmates left midway through the year. So he's either a lying bully with a history of aggressive behaviour, or he's telling the truth. The QC will decide.

In the interim, and more importantly what are the optics of this, what will the public make of it, the people of Tauranga, and National supporters?

It is a giant unwelcome distraction which does the party no favours. And it actually points to a bigger issue within National of how seriously they take candidate selection, how thoroughly they're vetting people, and how much brainpower they're applying to the process.

No matter which way it goes for Sam Uffindell, that's the bigger problem for National.

Kate Hawkesby is a political broadcaster on Newstalk ZB - her articles can be seen HERE.