A worker claims Minister for Commerce Andrew Bayly told him to “take some wine and f… off”, called him a loser and formed the shape of an ‘L’ on his forehead with his fingers.
The incident happened on a visit to a warehouse this month, leaving the complainant feeling “degraded, embarrassed, and deeply disrespected”.
Bayly said he has apologised for the interaction, to the complainant and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, adding the comments were “unintentional” and meant in a “light-hearted manner”.
However, after fronting cameras this afternoon Bayly denied telling the worker to “f… off”, saying there are “different perceptions” between him and the complainant about what occurred.
It’s understood Luxon learned of the incident through a letter to his office, not from Bayly himself.
Luxon today said he retained confidence in Bayly – who is also the Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, and Statistics – but said the actions “fell well short of my expectations”.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it showed a lack of leadership from Luxon.
The letter from the complaint was provided by Bayly’s staff. In it, the worker said the “encounter left me feeling degraded, embarrassed, and deeply disrespected in front of my colleagues”.
“The emotional impact of the incident is significant.
“When Andrew Bayly was introduced to me, one of the first things he asked was why I was still at work. His tone was dismissive, and he proceeded to say, ‘Take a bottle of wine and go home, go on, go home… take some wine and f… off.’
“His behaviour and the way he spoke to me suggested that he had been drinking prior to arriving, which made the situation even more uncomfortable.”
Bayly said he was not intoxicated when they met.
“As he stepped closer, invading my personal space until we were shoulder to shoulder, Andrew again questioned why I was still working, noting that no one else was on the warehouse floor,” the letter writer said.
“What followed next was both shocking and humiliating. He called me a ‘loser’ repeatedly, saying the reason I was still at work was because I am a ‘loser.’
“He turned to the group of people with him at the time, including my boss, the Minister’s assistant, marketing staff, and employees, and formed an ‘L’with his fingers on his forehead.
“He then continued to call me a ‘loser,’ over and over, clearly trying to amuse the group at my expense.”
The complainant said they felt “angered and powerless” and like they were “the object of ridicule in front of my peers”.
“After this, Andrew and the group left the warehouse, but twice Andrew returned, insisting that I come to the and ‘have a drink’ with him. On both occasions, I refused. The entire situation was deeply uncomfortable, and I felt as though I had no choice but to lock the warehouse early and leave, as I was overwhelmed with absolute disgust from the Minister’s treatment towards myself.”
In a statement, Bayly, the member for Port Waikato, said he “obviously got this completely wrong”.
“I have unreservedly apologised to the person concerned. It was unintentional, I meant the comments in a light-hearted manner, but I accept that they caused offence. I take responsibility for the situation, and I am sorry.
“I regret my actions. They fall well short of the behaviour expected of a Minister, and what I expect of myself. I have also apologised to the Prime Minister, and given him my assurance it will not happen again.”
In a statement, Luxon said he was “disappointed” in Bayly’s conduct.
“He fell well short of the professional standards of behaviour I expect from Ministers.
“He has apologised, both to the person concerned and to me, and has given me his assurances that it won’t happen again.
“I still have confidence in Mr Bayly. These actions fell well short of my expectations, and I have been clear to Mr Bayly they cannot occur again.”
Bayly won the Port Waikato by-election with a margin of 11,432. His next closest rival was fellow Minister Casey Costello.
Bayly fronts cameras, claims ‘different perceptions’
Fronting cameras this afternoon, Bayly confirmed he did not offer his resignation to the Prime Minister.
“I certainly apologised to the Prime Minister and said to him it won’t happen again, and the behaviour wasn’t appropriate as a Minister.”
“I don’t believe I did [tell the worker to f… off] but the bigger issue is I put him in a situation where he was offended and that’s why I’ve unreservedly apologised to him.”
The Minister for Commerce said he did not believe he told the worker to “f*** off”. (Source: 1News)
Asked if he’d called the worker a “loser”, Bayly said: “There are issues with, obviously, people have different perceptions about what went on but I don’t want to get into who said what or what.”
“What I have accepted and do accept is I put the person in a situation where he felt offended.”
Bayly said he wrote to the person involved “at the earliest opportunity” and the person “decided to take it further, and that’s why we’re talking about it”.
Asked why he did not contact the Prime Minister about the issue, Bayly said: “Look, the Prime Minister’s been made aware of what’s going on and I’ve apologised unreservedly to the Prime Minister.”
“What I do accept is that the person has a certain view on the interactions that we had and it was only a matter of minutes, a few minutes, and unfortunately he came to a view that he was offended, and for that I unreservedly apologise.
“It doesn’t matter what I think, the important matter is that the complainant felt it was offensive.”
Bayly said he loved the job as Small Business Minister, and was passionate about it.
“I’ve met thousands of businesses over the last 10 years as an MP and this is the first such occurrence.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins also weighed into the matter this afternoon, saying it was “the latest in a string of instances where Christopher Luxon has failed to show leadership on poor behaviour by his ministers”.
“As Prime Minister he is not enforcing the standards he himself demanded from Opposition.”
