Andrew Bayly has corrected an answer he gave in Parliament yesterday about whether he drank alcohol on the day he called a worker a “loser”, now saying “after the incident and at the end of the day, I had a small wine tasting”.
Bayly apologised publicly on Friday after the incident during a business visit in early October came to light.
He thought he was having a “light-hearted exchange” with a worker. But the worker said he felt “degraded, embarrassed, and deeply disrespected” by the senior minister’s actions.
Yesterday in Parliament Commerce Minister Bayly faced questions from Labour’s Arena Williams on the incident.
Bayly corrected an earlier answer he gave under questioning from Labour’s Arena Williams about whether he drank anything on the day in question. (Source: Other)
Bayly disputes whether or not he told the worker to “f… off” as alleged in a written complaint sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, but conceded he called the man a “loser” and made an L-shape with his fingers on his forehead.
The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said he retains confidence in Bayly as a Minister, though his behaviour was unacceptable. He had told Bayly, and Bayly had assured him, it would not happen again.
Yesterday in Parliament, Williams asked a series of questions about the incident, including: “Had he had any alcohol at the beer garden or the winery he visited that day?”
Bayly answered: “No”.
Williams then asked: “Is he saying that he visited a beer garden and a winery, but the person fudging the truth about his drinking is the worker?”
Bayly said they were “unrelated”.
“You asked me whether I had alcohol and I said no.”
But later, just before 10pm yesterday, Bayly returned to the House to correct his statement.
“I was asked today, had I had any alcohol with—sorry, had I had any alcohol at the beer garden or the winery I visited that day.
“I took this to mean whether or not I’d had any alcohol prior to the incident that led to the complaint. Therefore, I correctly answered no.
“However, for the avoidance of any doubt, after the incident and at the end of the day, I had a small wine tasting.”
Unredacted letter of complaint reveals the worker identified themselves as a former member of the New Zealand Defence Force (Source: 1News)
In the letter from the complainant, which was released on Friday, the man said “the way he spoke to me suggested that he had been drinking prior to arriving”. Bayly said on Friday he was not intoxicated when they met.
