The Minister of Trade in New Zealand Andrew Bayly resigned after “putting his hand” last week on the upper arm member, in what he described as “superior” behavior.
Bayly said on Monday that he was “deeply sorry” for the incident, which he described as not an argument, but an “animated discussion”.
While Bayly left his ministerial positions, he remained a member of Parliament.
His resignation comes after he was criticized last October for calling a “loser” worker – including his fingertips in a ‘l’ shape on his forehead – and allegedly using explicit pointing at them. He later issued a public apology.
“As many of you know, I was eager to start changes in my ministerial portfolio,” Bayly said in a statement in which he announced his resignation.
“Last week, I had an animated debate with a staff member about work. I took the debate too far and put my hand on their upper arm, which was inappropriate.”
Bayly resigned last Friday, said Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon at a press conference, adding that the incident happened three days earlier, February 18th.
Luxon said on Monday that the Government is solving the problem within a week “pretty fast” and “pretty impressive.” He denied that he should have asked Bayly to step down after an incident for the winery in October and said “never say never”, when asked if he returned to a 63-year-old in the second position of the cabinet.
However, Labor leader Chris Hipkins criticized Luxon as “incredibly weak”, saying that the incident with a staff member should not be dragged over the weekend.
“Christopher Luxon once again set up a ministerial behavior so low, that it would be almost impossible not to overcome him,” he told reporters on Monday.
Bayly himself said he had to talk to his family and that he would “have difficulty” talks with the media earlier.
He was first elected to the New Zealand Parliament 2014 as a representative for the current ruling national party. He was appointed Minister of Trade and Consumer Affairs, Minister for Small Companies and Production, and Minister of Statistics after the election of Luxon at the end of 2023.
He was also appointed Minister for ACC – National Scheme for Removable Injuries Fees – after the cabinet diverting earlier this year. Before joining politics, Bayly worked in the financial industry.
Luxon said that Scott Simpson, a national senior whip, would take over the ACC and consumer business portfolio.
Bayly is the first minister to resign towards his own premiere Luxon, whose favorableness has fallen significantly, according to recent polls. Both the 1news-Veriska and Post/brown strategion exhibition shows that his coalition government led by national leadership loses support among voters.
The Government recently lit some policies that some considered anti -māori, including the introduction of a law proposal that many claimed to have disturbed the rights of the māori and the dissolution of the Māori health bodies – founded in the last government of work to try to create a higher health equality.
