National's Andrew Bayly to stand down at election
Saturday, 20 June 2026
National MP Andrew Bayly will stand down at the election.
Bayly, a former minister, announced in March he would not be standing for his safe Port Waikato seat, but did not decide then whether he would seek a spot on National’s list.
He confirmed to The Post on Saturday that he would not be standing on the list either, saying it was a personal decision.
“My wife and I have decided to pursue a different path,” Bayly said.
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He said the decision was made a while ago long before any kind of list-ranking process.
“I indicated a while ago that I wouldn’t be going on the list.“
National’s current polling and strength in electorates makes it likely it will have very few list MPs after the election.
Bayly was first elected in 2014 and held senior roles within Opposition, including as shadow treasurer in Judith Collins’ shadow cabinet.
He was made a minister outside of Cabinet following the 2023 election but resigned from the ministry in February of 2025 following an “animated discussion” with a staffer where he placed his hand on the staffer’s arm.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon indicated he would have been fired had he not resigned.
Bayly has since sought to relitigate the events that led up to his resignation, saying new information suggested Luxon had been misled over the matter.
Bayly had previously came under heavy scrutiny in October of 2024 for an interaction with a Blenheim winery worker, which Luxon said at the time Bayly got “horribly wrong” and caused “hurt and insult” to a member of the public.
The worker alleged he called them a “loser” and told them to “take some wine and f… off”.
Bayly was a successful merchant banker prior to politics.
He also has a strong record as an adventurer, visiting the South Pole and retracing the route of Thomas Lawrence (commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia) across the Middle East.
The news of Bayly’s departure emerged during day one of National’s 90th annual conference in Lower Hutt.