Andrew Bayly: NZ minister resigns for placing hand on staff's arm

The incident last week comes months after he allegedly called a winery worker a "loser".

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersNZ minister resigns after he 'placed hand' on staff's arm7 hours agoKoh EweReporting fromSingaporeKathryn ArmstrongReporting fromLondonGetty ImagesAndrew Bayly is the first minister to resign in Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's administrationNew Zealand's commerce minister Andrew Bayly has resigned as a government minister after he "placed a hand" on a staff member's upper arm last week, in what he described as "overbearing" behaviour.

Bayly said on Monday that he was "deeply sorry" about the incident, which he described as not an argument but an "animated discussion".

He remains a member of parliament.

His resignation comes after he was criticised last October for calling a winery worker a "loser"- including putting his fingers in an 'L' shape on his forehead - and allegedly using an expletive directed at them. He later issued a public apology.

"As many of you know, I have been impatient to drive change in my ministerial portfolios," Bayly said in a statement announcing his resignation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce30l5497x2o

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