Uffindell, aged 16 as an 11-year-old boarding school student in Auckland, reportedly jumped on the boy and started beating him with what were believed to be unscrewed wooden bed legs, according to Stuff.
It was reported that the now MP for Tauranga apologized to his victim 22 years after the attack and nine months before revealing his political ambitions.
“It was one of the dumbest, dumbest things I’ve ever done. I really regret it, I still really regret it,” Uffindell told Stuff.
Police were not involved, but he was reportedly asked to leave King’s College and complete his education at St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton.
The NZ Herald is asking for comment from Uffindell.
The National Party has not yet commented. The party was reportedly made aware of the incident.
The victim, who was not named, told Stuff Uffindell that he contacted him through a mutual acquaintance in July last year to apologize, which the victim eventually accepted.
“But a few months later I went to the news with a beer on the couch and there he was, running to parliament,” said the victim. “I felt sick.”
Uffindell reportedly did not mention his political intentions during the interaction.
The incident reportedly took place in 1999 on the last night of the school year at one of King’s College boarding houses.
The victim, then 13 years old, was lying in his dorm bed after the lights went out when four older boys reportedly came in, jumped on him and started beating him.
The boys were thought to have used wooden bed legs unscrewed from their dorm room, Stuff said.