International

Andrew Bayly Resigns As New Zealand Minister

Published

2 months ago

Feb 24, 2025.

Dennis

Andrew Bayly resigns as New Zealand’s Commerce Minister after a workplace misconduct complaint.
PM Christopher Luxon defends handling of the situation amid criticism from Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Resignation adds to government struggles, as Luxon’s coalition faces declining public support.

New Zealand’s Commerce Minister, Andrew Bayly, has stepped down from his government role after admitting to “placing a hand” on a staff member’s upper arm during what he described as an “animated discussion.”

Bayly, who remains a Member of Parliament, acknowledged his behaviour as “overbearing” and issued an apology on Monday.

His resignation follows past controversy, including an incident in October where he called a winery worker a “loser,” accompanied by an ‘L’ hand gesture on his forehead, and allegedly used an expletive toward them. He later publicly apologised for the remark.

EDITOR’S PICKS

In his resignation statement, Bayly expressed regret over last week’s workplace encounter, saying, “I took the discussion too far, and I placed a hand on their upper arm, which was inappropriate.” He confirmed that a complaint had been filed but did not provide further details.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon revealed that Bayly tendered his resignation on Friday, three days after the February 18 incident. Luxon defended his government’s handling of the matter, calling the resolution “pretty quick” and “impressive.” When asked if Bayly could return to a cabinet position in the future, Luxon responded, “never say never.”

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins, however, criticised Luxon’s response, arguing that the issue should not have been drawn out over the weekend. “Christopher Luxon has once again set the bar for ministerial behaviour so low that it would be almost impossible not to get over it,” Hipkins said.

Bayly, a National Party MP since 2014, was appointed Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, and Minister of Statistics after Luxon’s election in late 2023. He later took on the role of Minister for the ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) in a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year.