Andrew Bayly stands down as minister after putting hand on staffer
Andrew Bayly has stood down as ACC and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister after he “placed a hand” on a staff member’s arm during an “animated discussion” last Tuesday, something he’s recognised was “inappropriate”.
However, questions have been raised about the delay of nearly three days between Bayly resigning on Friday evening and the public being told on Monday.
While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claims the Government has “managed the process incredibly well” and there was an outcome “pretty quick”, Labour’s Chris Hipkins says Luxon has set the standard extremely low and initially hid information from Kiwis.
A statement from the now-former minister on Monday said he had been “impatient to drive change in my ministerial portfolios” and during an “animated discussion” with a staffer about work, “took the discussion too far”.
“I placed a hand on their upper arm, which was inappropriate. I have apologised to the staff member and regret placing them in an uncomfortable position,” he said.
“There are times when you have to hold yourself to account and today is one of those days. I have made the personal choice to resign as a minister and have offered my resignation to the Prime Minister, which he has accepted.”
He later told reporters a complaint had been made, but denied the discussion was an argument or that he had touched the staff member’s arm with force.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVEBLOG
Scott Palmer
Luxon's standup is now over.
Cancelled Indonesia trip
Scott Palmer
Luxon is about to travel to Vietnam. The trip, which he leaves for tomorrow, was supposed to include a visit to Indonesia but that leg had been cancelled.
Asked why, Luxon said Indonesia's leaders had some pressing matters to attend to.
He dismissed it was a snub by Indonesia, reiterating the "pressing domestic issues".
"I wouldn't really worry about that at all," Luxon said of the cancelled Indonesia leg.
China warships
Scott Palmer
On the China warships sailing through the Pacific currently, Luxon said the actions of the flotilla complied with international law but he said discussions had been had with Chinese Embassy officials about the short notice provided ahead of live-firing drills.
The same concerns would be expressed by Foreign Minister Winston Peters while he was in Beijing this week, Luxon said.
Bayly stays in Port Waikato seat
Scott Palmer
Luxon didn't ask him to stand down as an electorate MP for Port Waikato.
Asked if Bayly could make his way back to becoming a minister, Luxon said: "Never say never."
Luxon said he wasn't aware if the matter had been referred to police.
"I'm not going to go into that," Luxon said when asked about what actually happened during Bayly's encounter with his staff members.
Luxon says it was Bayly's decision
Scott Palmer
Luxon said Bayly had come forward on his own steam to resign.
He wouldn't answer directly when asked if he would have sacked Bayly if Bayly hadn't offered his resignation.
"I think he made the right decision."
However, Luxon wouldn't say he sacked Bayly: "I want to be really clear, this is Andrew's decision."
Asked why he didn't speak about the resignation on Saturday when he spoke to media, Luxon said he wanted Bayly to speak to his family and his staff, which he believed was "reasonable".
Luxon on Bayly
Scott Palmer
On Andrew Bayly, Luxon restated how he had accepted Bayly's resignation.
Luxon said he didn't want to add to the description of the incident Bayly was involved in, leaving that to Bayly's earlier comments.
Luxon confirmed he was informed about the incident on Thursday last week, two days after it occurred. He allowed Bayly to inform family and staff before announcing it today.
"I think that's been pretty quick," he said.
"I think we have managed the process incredibly well."
Gang numbers
Scott Palmer
On the gang law enforcement, Chambers acknowledged the number of people on the National Gangs List had increased but said that had occurred because new gangs had been added to the relevant legislation.
"Largely gang members are making good choices," Chambers said, explaining that gang members didn't want to lose their patches.
The patches were destroyed at the point a gang member was convicted. He didn't elaborate on how the patches were destroyed.
Anti-gang laws
Scott Palmer
Chambers, who became Commissioner late last year, thanked Luxon and his ministers for their support and his acknowledgement of police's efforts in suppressing gangs.
He said the feedback from officers was that they were "pleased" that they could address gang members wearing patches.
Chambers also claimed the public had told them they felt "a lot freer" under the new laws.
PM Luxon holding standup
Scott Palmer
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is joined in South Auckland by Police Minister Mark Mitchell, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers after discussing with police staff the impact of the Government's anti-gang laws, such as the gang patch ban.
Luxon spoke of the significant proportion of crime that gangs were responsible for, which he argued proved the need for stronger powers to police gangs.
Hipkins says Bayly should have gone months ago
Scott Palmer
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon "has set the bar for ministerial conduct so low Ministers have to sack themselves".
"Andrew Bayly should’ve been gone months ago," Hipkins posted to X.
"After finding out about the latest allegation on Wednesday, the PM waited days for him to resign when he should’ve been sacked asap."
Bayly questioned over time to stand down
Scott Palmer
I have held myself to personal account, he says.
It's important to reflect on one's own actions.
"It is what I said," Bayly says.
I made my decision and informed the Prime Minister of the resignation on Friday night.
I would have had difficulty fronting media on Friday and needed to speak with family.
He had talked over the decision with his family before making today's announcement.
With that, he walks off.
Bayly's standing down' personal decision'
Scott Palmer
It was not an argument, Bayly says.
"It is what it is," he says.
"I put my hand on their upper arm," he says.
Bayly says he's made a "personal decision" to step down as minister.
Bayly says he 'held their arm'
Scott Palmer
Andrew Bayly, speaking to media, says it was a "lively" discussion.
I touched their upper arm and it was inappropriate, he says.
"I held their arm", he says.
A complaint has been made, Bayly confirms.
Bayly's standup starts
Scott Palmer
Bayly is joined by government minister Simon Watts and Takanini MP Rima Nakhle.
Bayly is reading out his written statement.
Andrew Bayly to speak
Sophie Ryan
National MP Andrew Bayly has resigned as a minister after an "inappropriate" workplace incident. He is due to speak more on the incident and his resignation at 1.45pm from Pukekohe, in his Port Waikato electorate. We will have live coverage of him addressing media.
STORY CONTINUES
Questioned about the delay in the public being informed of his resignation, Bayly said he would have had difficulty speaking to media about it last Friday and needed time to tell his family.
According to a timeline provided by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the incident occurred last Tuesday. The PMO and Ministerial Services were alerted to the incident on Wednesday evening and spent Thursday and Friday speaking with those involved. Bayly then resigned late on Friday evening.
However, despite the Prime Minister appearing before reporters on Saturday, Luxon didn’t mention that a minister had stood down.
The Prime Minister said on Monday afternoon he had wanted Bayly to speak to his family and staff before informing the public, which he believed was “reasonable”.
“I think that’s been pretty quick to move as fast as we have within the week, it’s pretty impressive,” Luxon said. “I think we have managed the process incredibly well. I think it’s been very effective and very fast.”
Luxon said Bayly had “come forward of his own volution”, admitted he hadn’t met his standards of behaviour, and made the “right decision” to resign.
The Prime Minister repeatedly said it had been Bayly’s decision and wouldn’t say whether he would have sacked the minister had he not resigned.
“That’s a hypothetical because I didn‘t have to go there because he, most importantly, had recognised his behaviour hadn’t met his own high standards.”
But Hipkins said the Prime Minister had sent the bar for ministerial behaviour “so low that it would be almost impossible not to get over it” and Luxon should have sacked Bayly months ago, when it emerged the minister had called a worker a “loser”.
The Labour leader said the Prime Minister had double standards, referencing Luxon’s call for swift punishments for misbehaving Labour ministers.
“When he was the Leader of the Opposition, he set the bar very, very high and he said that not only should ministers be sacked, but they should be driven out of Parliament altogether. In this instance, he’s not living up to his own standards, which seems to be a repeated pattern of behaviour.”
Hipkins said Luxon keeping the resignation secret over the weekend showed “he’s hiding things from the New Zealand public”.
“The public should expect that on issues like this, the Prime Minister will be upfront and open with them. If he had received a minister’s resignation on Friday, the fact that he appeared before the media over the weekend, didn’t bother to mention it until Monday, that’s totally unacceptable.”
Hipkins said he didn’t give his ministers days to notify their families of their punishments and didn’t believe the argument that Bayly was too upset for the news to become public held water.
“I dealt with a situation where I was dealing with someone who was highly distressed at the time I relieved them of their ministerial warrant and it was really, really tough, but unfortunately, that’s the nature of the job.”
The Port Waikato MP held the ACC and Commerce and Consumer Affairs portfolios, and previously had the Small Business and Manufacturing role until a reshuffle at the start of the year.
Luxon thanked Bayly for his “hard work” in his ministerial portfolios.
“Mr Bayly’s resignation takes effect immediately. Scott Simpson will become Minister for ACC and Commerce and Consumer Affairs.”
Simpson, the Coromandel MP and current Chief Whip, said in a statement it was a privilege to be appointed.
“I’m excited by the opportunity that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given me to take on these two new portfolio roles,” he said.
“I relish the chance to be a part of the broader coalition team that is working to get New Zealand’s economy growing and thriving again.”
Bayly, who has been an MP since 2014, apologised last year after it emerged a complaint had been made about his behaviour at a winery in Marlborough. It included that he had sworn at, ridiculed and mocked a worker there, including by repeatedly calling the man a “loser” and telling him to “take some wine ... and f*** off”.
The MP admitted calling the worker a “loser” and pulling an “L” on his forehead but denied swearing or that he had been drinking before the interactions. He has acknowledged he took part in a small wine tasting, but after interacting with the worker.
He said at the time he had meant his actions in a light-hearted manner but he understood they had offended the worker. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the behaviour as disappointing but said he had got assurances it wouldn’t happen again.
An Official Information Request response to the Herald showed photos during Bayly’s Marlborough visit, including one showing Bayly drinking from a wine glass at what appears to be a wine tasting at the vineyard. No photos of Bayly making a “L” sign are included.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.