Luxon unmoved on staff failure over MP

Christopher Luxon wouldn’t say why his staff didn’t tell him about Sam Uffindell’s history of abusive behaviour, other than to say they made ‘‘a mistake’’.

The National Party leader faced another day of questions about his embattled MP and the party’s candidate selection and handling of this situation.

Luxon acknowledged there were issues with National’s candidate selection processes, which he said would hopefully be worked through soon.

‘‘The fact that I’m asking for an independent investigation suggests that we have got improvement to make for our candidate selection processes,’’ he said.

Uffindell was up front with the National Party about his bullying behaviour while in high school. Todd Mcclay, a National Party MP who chaired its Tauranga byelection campaign, knew about it – and he told staff in Luxon’s office. But the leader’s office didn’t tell the leader.

The party’s backstage power brokers also knew that Uffindell had attacked a younger boy at King’s College.

Current party president Sylvia Wood and Peter Goodfellow, the former party president, both knew.

But, like his staff, they also didn’t tell Luxon.

In Te Awamutu yesterday, Luxon was asked for the reasons why nobody told him about Uffindell’s history of bullying. He said he did not want to discuss ‘‘staffing details’’.

After Stuff revealed details on Monday of Uffindell’s abusive behaviour at King’s College, a further accusation – from the MP’S time at Otago University – led to his suspension from National’s caucus.

RNZ spoke to a former flatmate who said he once pounded on her door while screaming obscenities at her. She said she had to escape through her bedroom window.