An email complaining about Commerce and Small Business Minister Andrew Bayly's behaviour was sent on Friday, but soon disappeared from a Labour MP's inbox. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker
The Speaker of the House has been asked to investigate how an email complaining about Andrew Bayly's behaviour was received and then later disappeared from a Labour MP's parliamentary inbox.
Political parties received an email on Friday from the business worker who has complained about the behaviour of the Commerce and Small Business Minister on a recent ministerial visit.
In a written complaint - released by the minister on Friday afternoon - the employee said he had been left feeling "degraded, embarrassed and deeply disrespected" during the visit in early October.
In the letter, the complainant detailed his encounter with Bayly, saying the minister questioned why he was still at work and told him: "Take a bottle of wine and go home... take some wine and f**k off.
"What followed next was both shocking an humiliating. He called me a loser repeatedly, saying the reason I was still at work was because I am a loser."
The worker said Bayly then "formed an 'L' with his fingers on his forehead".
Bayly wrote to the worker on Friday to apologise and also informed the Prime Minister, who said he had failed to meet the standards expected of him, but that he retained confidence in him.
The government released the complaint and Bayly's two letters - one to the business after the visit and another on Friday to the worker - on the same day the worker sent the details of his encounter to all the other political parties.
Labour Party deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni was a recipient and when the email arrived, her staffer read it and flagged it for the MP to read at a later point.
The email was then recalled and disappeared from Sepuloni's inbox.
When the staffer queried this with Parliament's IT staff, they were told it was withdrawn because it was flagged as spam, but it had subsequently been reinstated on Monday.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins told media on Monday afternoon he had contacted the Speaker because it "ultimately draws into question exactly how an email can be received and withdrawn again".
"It does seem somewhat strange that an email can be received, read, and then disappear from their inbox."
The Prime Minister's office says it was not responsible for the email being withdrawn - the first Christopher Luxon had heard of it was when RNZ raised it with him at his post-Cabinet press conference.
The Speaker said he had no comment to make when approached by RNZ.
Hipkins has also raised questions about the lack of consequences for Bayly's actions, saying a "demotion would certainly be in order".
"The standards that Christopher Luxon sets for ministers in his government are lower than the standards that he set when he was leader of the opposition, that he set for the previous government."
The Labour leader said Bayly had not been "upfront with the New Zealand public about what exactly it is that he did and didn't say".
"And he still hasn't explained to New Zealand workers exactly why it is he thinks working late makes someone a loser," Hipkins said.
Luxon told media today that he stood by Bayly, but added that the minister's conduct was not up to scratch.
"He has genuinely, genuinely [apologised]. And that's what I'm always looking for in these cases. Have you internalised and understood how much hurt and insult you have caused, and what have you done... as best you can, to make amends?
"But importantly, I would expect going forward - and I've told him that very clearly, and he has given me reassurances - that there won't be this behaviour again."
Luxon would not be drawn on what type of complaint would warrant his immediate attention - saying only that he dealt with personnel issues "fairly and swiftly".
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