Former minister Andrew Bayly won’t stand in Port Waikato electorate, seeking list-only position

National MP Andrew Bayly after announcing he will not seek the nomination to be the candidate for Port Waikato at the next election. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Former minister Andrew Bayly has told members of his Port Waikato electorate that he won’t seek selection ahead of the November election.

Instead, Bayly, who resigned as a minister following two alleged conduct issues, will look to get a list-only spot for National.

The decision has been prompted by his desire to move to the South Island. He doesn’t believe he can commit to another term as the electorate’s MP.

It’s understood Bayly doesn’t feel bad blood towards the party over how his ministerial responsibilities ended. He would still like to return to ministerial duties one day.

In a statement, Bayly said it had not been “an easy decision”, but he and his wife “love the South Island, which is where we intend to relocate this year”.

“I believe it is important that the people of the Port Waikato electorate are represented by someone who is able to live locally and maintain a strong, day‑to‑day connection with the community.”

He called it an “honour and a privilege to serve the people of the Port Waikato electorate” and he was “grateful for the trust they have placed in me”.

“We have been through Covid, numerous cyclones and major flooding events, where people have lost their lives, their homes and livelihoods. It has been tough at times, but I am proud of what we have achieved together.”

Andrew Bayly was previously the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Bayly was first elected to Parliament in 2014, initially for the Hunua electorate which then became Port Waikato in 2020.

The MP was briefly ranked third within the National Party under then-leader Judith Collins. He held the position of shadow-Treasurer until Collins was ousted and Christopher Luxon was installed as leader.

After National took office in late 2023, Bayly was made Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Small Business and Manufacturing, and Statistics.

He apologised in October 2024 after a complaint that he allegedly swore at, mocked and ridiculed a man during a ministerial visit to a winery in Marlborough.

The complaint included that he had sworn at, ridiculed, and mocked a worker at the business, including by repeatedly calling the man a “loser” and telling him to “take some wine... and f*** off”.

Bayly admitted calling the worker a “loser” and pulling an “L” on his forehead but denied swearing or that he had been drinking before the interactions. He has acknowledged he took part in a small wine tasting, but after interacting with the worker.

Andrew Bayly has been an MP since 2014. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Herald later revealed images of Bayly at the winery, including drinking from a wine glass at what appeared to be a wine tasting at the vineyard.

He said at the time he had meant his actions in a light-hearted manner but he understood they had offended the worker.

Luxon described the behaviour as disappointing but said he had got assurances it wouldn’t happen again.

However, months later in February last year, Bayly resigned his ministerial portfolios after an allegation he “placed a hand” on a staff member’s arm during an “animated discussion”.

But then last October, Bayly said he had learnt no formal complaint had ever been made against him and a claim that the allegation was corroborated by three other people wasn’t correct.

“That’s what made me get to a position that I put my resignation in,” Bayly said. “If I’d known what I do now, I wouldn’t have offered it.”

The Prime Minister, however, maintained Bayly made the right decision to resign and would have been sacked otherwise.

“I don’t want to go into the ins and outs of it,” Luxon said late last year.

“But the bottom line is, look, in the information I had at the time, the information I have today, coupled with the previous incident at the end of last year, I think he made the right decision to resign.”

Port Waikato MP Andrew Bayly in his office was a minister under Christopher Luxon until his resignation. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In an emotional interview with the Herald last year, Bayly spoke about the significant psychological impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on members of his electorate and those in Auckland.

Bayly wrote to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 outlining some of the lessons he believes need to be learnt from the lockdown to prepare New Zealand for future emergencies, which he believes climate change will lead to more of.

Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.