NZ Minister Resigns After Argument With Staffer Became Physical

Andrew Bayly admitted he ’took the discussion too far.’

National MP Andrew Bayly speaks during the first sitting day of New Zealand's 53rd Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Dec. 1, 2020. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand Cabinet Minister Andrew Bayly has resigned this morning after admitting to “placing a hand” on a staff member during what he called an “animated discussion” last week.

Bayly, who until today held the portfolios of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), issued a brief statement which said he was “deeply sorry” for “a recent incident in which my behaviour towards a staff member was overbearing.”