NZ minister resigns after he 'placed hand' on staff's arm

New Zealand's Minister for Commerce, Andrew Bayly, has announced his resignation from his government ministerial portfolios. This comes after he admitted to having "placed his hand on" a staff member's upper arm last week, describing his behavior as "overbearing."

Bayly stated on Monday that he was "deeply sorry" for the incident, characterizing it not as an argument, but as a "robust discussion." He remains a member of parliament at this time.

This resignation follows criticism Bayly received last October for reportedly calling a worker at a winery a "loser," making an "L" shape on his forehead with his fingers, and allegedly using foul language towards them. He publicly apologized for that incident afterward.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Bayly stated, "As many of you know, I have been keen to drive change within my ministerial portfolios." He added, "Last week I had a robust discussion with a staff member about a work matter. I overstepped the mark, I placed my hand on their upper arm, and that was not appropriate." He indicated that a complaint had been made, but did not elaborate on the specifics.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated at a subsequent press conference that Bayly had resigned on Friday, adding that the incident occurred three days prior, on February 18th. Luxon said on Monday that the government's handling of the matter within a week was "pretty swift" and "pretty impressive." He denied that Bayly should have been asked to resign after the winery incident last October and said when asked about the possibility of the 63-year-old veteran returning to a cabinet position, "never say never."

However, Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticized Luxon for being "incredibly weak," saying that the incident with the staff member should not have dragged on until the weekend. "Christopher Luxon has once again set the bar for ministerial behaviour so low that it's almost impossible to fall short," he told reporters on Monday.

Bayly himself stated that he needed to speak with his family and that it had been "difficult" to speak to the media earlier. He was first elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 2014, representing the current ruling National Party. After Luxon was elected in late 2023, he was appointed Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, and Minister of Statistics. Following a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year, he was also appointed Minister for ACC – the national accident compensation scheme. Prior to entering politics, Bayly worked in the financial industry.

Luxon stated that National Party Senior Whip Scott Simpson would take over the responsibilities for ACC as well as the Commerce and Consumer Affairs portfolios.

Bayly is the first minister under Prime Minister Luxon's leadership to resign voluntarily. According to recent opinion polls, Luxon's approval ratings have declined significantly. Both the 1News-Verian poll and the Post/Freshwater Strategy poll show that his National Party coalition government is losing voter support. Recently, some of the government's policies have been criticized, policies that some see as anti-Maori, including the introduction of a bill that many believe undermines Maori rights, and the disbanding of the Maori Health Authority – an agency established under the previous Labour government to create greater health equity.