National's Luxon defends secrecy over Uffindell report

National leader Christopher Luxon defended the secrecy around the independent report into Sam Uffindell, after only himself, party president Sylvia Wood and Sam Uffindell saw the full report.

No aspect of the report including the terms of reference or executive summary have been released publicly.

National MPs voted without seeing the report to welcome the new MP back into caucus. However, Luxon says formal statements that were read to media yesterday were run past Dew prior.

Luxon said the details of the report which he said cleared Uffindell from bullying allegations during university were private and confidential, "and we're going to keep it that way".

Uffindell was stood down from Parliament pending an investigation into his behaviour at university. (Source: 1News)

"I genuinely wanted a process where people could open up and come forward and feel free to do that, and to know it was in a safe and trusted, in a private way.

"We have Maria Dew, who is an independent investigator, an eminently experienced KC who did an excellent job doing an excellent investigation. On that basis, my statements yesterday faithfully reflect her findings."

Luxon said the report was delivered to just himself and Wood, "then we have faithfully through our statements yesterday represented the findings".

Luxon said his deputy Nicola Willis had not seen it either.

"They trust me to represent those findings to the caucus incredibly well, which I did."

When asked if Uffindell had seen the report, Luxon said the MP had been engaged with Dew "and he's had conversations with her about the report, but not the full report". This was later corrected as Uffindell had seen the full report.

Luxon was asked why the terms of reference were not released.

"There were two very simple objectives here, to get to the bottom of the flat incident in Dunedin, by which Maria Dew's report said very clearly that as presented in media that did not actually occur, the second part of it was to make sure there was no ongoing pattern beyond the King's College incident, of any ongoing pattern of bullying, which gives me confidence Sam can return to Parliament and be an MP."

Fourteen people were interviewed by Maria Dew KC, as well as a number of written statements provided. National did not release the report, or the terms of reference, or would say who was and was not interviewed. Uffindell also would not disclose details of the university incident.

The investigation did not substantiate any allegations of bullying outside his time at King's College, Wood said.

"There are differing accounts of what occurred," Wood said.

She said no one else came forward alleging they had been a victim of his behaviour.

Uffindell said he "deeply" regretted the King's College incident, and was "genuinely shocked" following the university allegation.

"I want to acknowledge there was a genuine breakdown in the flat relationship and things were said that I now realise my flatmate overheard. I apologise and regret my part in that."

The investigation took place between August 15 to September 15.

Uffindell, the MP for Tauranga, was stood down more than a month ago pending the Dew investigation into allegations about behaviour towards a female flatmate in 2003. Uffindell denied the allegation.

The allegations surfaced after it was revealed by Stuff the MP was involved in a late-night assault when he was a teen at King's College in Auckland against a younger student. He was asked to leave the school.

Uffindell recently won the Tauranga by-election after former National leader Simon Bridges left Parliament.