By Katie Scotcher & Russell Palmer for RNZ
The National Party's new president has admitted its candidate selection process could be improved, after its Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell was suspended over bullying allegations.
The party has brought in a senior lawyer to independently review Uffindell, after his admission that he beat a younger boy while he was at boarding school was followed by allegations of further bullying at university.
Leader Christopher Luxon yesterday defended Uffindell as a changed man but said he as party leader, and more importantly [ the electorate, should have been informed.
Today, he said the fresh allegations against Uffindell were being taken "really seriously" and referred to work already done within the party to reset its culture and improve candidate selection processes.
It has become clear the party board and candidate selection panel were fully aware of Uffindell's removal from King's College after his attack on the younger boy and the matter was investigated, but that information was not passed on to Luxon, his deputy Nicola Willis, or voters.
National Party President Sylvia Wood took over the role from Peter Goodfellow at the party's annual conference over the weekend.
In a statement, she told RNZ the selection process had been run in accordance with the party's rules, which require confidentiality.
"However, it is now clear that process could be further improved, and we are looking at how best to achieve that," she said.
The confidentiality rules may be what kept the selection panel from sharing knowledge of the incident.
"Every person participating including each nominee shall sign an undertaking to keep the proceedings confidential. The Chair however is authorised to report to the electorate committee on how the meeting was conducted," the party's rules say.
"Nothing in this section shall prevent the nominees of the Regional Chair or President commenting to their appointer on the meeting and the merits of the nominees."
Labour's Tauranga by-election candidate Jan Tinetti told Midday Report there were plenty of opportunities during the campaign for details on MP Sam Uffindell's past to come out.
She felt for those who had been impacted.
The party's candidate selection has been under the microscope in recent years after a string of scandals, particularly Hamish Walker, Andrew Falloon, and Jake Bezzant in the lead-up to the 2020 election.
Those incidents were not in a National Party led by Luxon, but after that election led to the party losing 23 of its seats a review suggested a series of changes to improve selection processes.
Former National MP Sarah Dowie said it was hard not to say the party currently had a culture issue.
She told Midday Report the spotlight needed to go on the candidate vetting process.
If Uffindell was truly reformed, he deserved the opportunity to put his case forward and make amends, she said.
