A New Zealand minister said on Monday he has withdrawn from his position to put his hand on an employee’s upper arm during an “animated” discussion.

The country’s minister of trade and consumer affairs, Andrew Bayly, told journalists that his behavior towards the employee had been “overbearing”.

“Because I’m deeply sorry,” he said.

“I took the discussion too far and I put a hand on the upper arm which was inappropriate.”

A complaint had been filed about his behavior in last week’s incident, the minister said and fell by providing further details.

It is the second apology offered by Bayly for his ministerial behavior after his visit to a New Zealand business last October was mad.

A worker wrote a letter of complaint at the time he said the minister seemed to have been drinking, swore and called him a “loser” repeatedly, even formed a “L” with his fingers on his forehead.

Bayly sent two excuses in response and said he “wrongly read the moment” and meant his comments in an “easy -hearted way”.

He assured the worker, “I wasn’t intoxicated when we met.”

Despite pulling down as minister of his recent meeting, Bayly said he would remain a Member of Parliament and looked forward to serving his voters.

Departure comes as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s Conservative Government, who took office in November 2023, saucers in the polls with voters affected by the rising living costs.

Luxon said the arm management event happened on February 18, and he had accepted Bayly’s resignation on Friday and delayed the message of giving the minister time to talk to his family and staff.

“I think it’s been pretty quick to move as fast as we have within the week. It’s pretty impressive,” he told journalists.

The New Zealand leader said Bayly told him he felt his actions “fell well under the expectations he sets for himself”.

Luxon said he appreciated that Bayly would continue to be a legislature and thanked him for doing an “extraordinary job” as a minister.

When asked about Bayly one day, one day returns to a ministerial post, he said to journalists, “Never never say.”

Bayly was replaced as Minister of Commerce by Scott Simpson, who had been the senior whip responsible for party discipline in parliament.