Andrew Bayly not quite retiring from politics
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Andrew Bayly says he won’t stand for an electorate seat again, but would be keen to return to Parliament as a National Party list MP.
Bayly confirmed his decision on Tuesday afternoon, after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters there “may well be” further retirement announcements from the National Party caucus.
Luxon said an announcement could be made as soon as this afternoon. He said “there may well be” three times when asked about further retirements, and how soon those retirements could be confirmed
Officially, however, Bayly isn’t retiring. He said he was “exploring the option of applying to be on the party list”.
He explained that he wanted to move to the South Island. He has been the MP for Port Waikato.
“My wife and I love the South Island, which is where we intend to relocate later this year.
“I believe it is important that the people of the Port Waikato electorate are represented by someone who is able to live locally and maintain a strong, day‑to‑day connection with the community,” he said.
Bayly told Stuff he’d had no indication of whether he would be able to return to Parliament as a list MP.
“The party first needs to finalise the selection of candidates for all electorates, and that will take some time yet,” he said.
Bayly has been an MP for 12 years, first entering Parliament as the MP for Hunua in 2014.
He resigned from his ministerial roles last year, after talk of an “incident” in his office. Stuff understands there was a heated discussion about work in which Bayly grabbed the staffer’s arm.
Getting in on the National Party list could be tricky, according to recent political polls.
The latest poll from The Post/Freshwater had National at 30%, down eight points since the election. That leaves very little room for list MPs. On these numbers, National Party candidates hoping to get in on the list will be relying on their electorate colleagues losing their seats.
Deputy leader Nicola Willis has also said she would only be seeking a list position at this year’s election. However, she was ranked second on the list in 2023 - while Bayly was 15th.
In 2023, National got in five list MPs with 35% of the vote. They were: Willis, Paul Goldsmith, Gerry Brownlee, Melissa Lee and Nancy Lu. Lu was ranked 20th.
So far, Defence Minister Judith Collins has confirmed she will be leaving Parliament to take up a job as president of the Law Commission.
Luxon has held off on reshuffling his Cabinet, which he will soon need to do to fill Collins’ vacancies.
West Coast Tasman MP Maureen Pugh has also already confirmed her plan to retire at the election.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins will also need to reshuffle his caucus.
He’s facing a number of retirements, with Adrian Rurawhe already gone, Peeni Henare leaving next week, and Duncan Webb retiring at the election.
On Monday, Hipkins said he would also be announcing a new portfolios reshuffle soon.