1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Senior Minister Andrew Bailey has apologized for telling a member 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 1: of the public to f off and repeatedly calling them 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: a loser. 4 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 2: Now. 5 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:08,960 Speaker 1: It happened in a ministerial visit to a workplace. The 6 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: worker complained, saying they were the only person in the warehouse. 7 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: And Andrew Bailey then told them to quote, go home, 8 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: take some wine and f off, then called them a 9 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: loser for being the only person still working, and then 10 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 1: did the l sign with his fingers on his forehead. 11 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: Andrew Bailey has with been Now, hey, Andrew. 12 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 2: Good evening. 13 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 3: Is that what happened? 14 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: Oh look, I don't want to necessarily get into. 15 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 4: Who said what, other than the fact that I had 16 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 4: a brief exchange with a person concerned and unfuts knee 17 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 4: he took offense at what was said and to him 18 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 4: I've unreserveably apologized for pacing him in that situation. It 19 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 4: wasn't intended, but it was lighthearted manner that we were 20 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 4: discussing and. 21 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 2: It was only for a few minutes. But unfortunate he 22 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 2: has taken offense. 23 00:00:57,760 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 3: Yeah, did you tell him to f off and get 24 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 3: some wine and go home? 25 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,279 Speaker 4: Okay, I don't believe I use those words. But again 26 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 4: I don't really want to say I know, but it's important. 27 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 4: So the issue more important is that, unfortunately I put 28 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 4: him in a situation where you felt offended. 29 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 2: Did you do the outside of that situation? I shouldn't 30 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 2: have put him into that situation, and I feel very apologetic. 31 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 3: Did you do the L sign? 32 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 2: Andrew? 33 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 4: Look again, I don't want to get into the details. 34 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 4: It is just what it is. And he's taken offense 35 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 4: to what went on, and I have unreserveably apologized to 36 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 4: the person concerned, and I'm disappointed that I put him 37 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 4: in that situation. 38 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 3: Had you been drinking? 39 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 2: No? 40 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 3: Did this happen at a winery? 41 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 2: I'm not going to go until where it happened, but because. 42 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: I'm trying to figure out why the reference to the 43 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: bottle of wine and on in October you visited a winery, 44 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: So is that where it happened. 45 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 4: No, I'm not going to say where it happened o'bo See, 46 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 4: we're maintaining confidentiality of the person concerned and also. 47 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 2: The place where it occurred. So I don't want to 48 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: go into that. 49 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 4: But I have been about the fact that the incident 50 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 4: took place, and I have written to the person twice 51 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 4: to apologize unreserveably. 52 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 2: And so that's where we find ourselves. 53 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 3: Does the person complain? 54 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,119 Speaker 2: I was only aware of it a few days later. 55 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:33,519 Speaker 3: But I don't know when it happened. So when was 56 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 3: a few days later? 57 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 2: What happened earlier this month? 58 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 3: Okay? So how long have you been aware of the complaint? 59 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 4: I've been aware of it for a while, and soon 60 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 4: as I was, I made aware of it. No, no, 61 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 4: as soon as I made aware of it that I 62 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 4: then provided that we're setting out my apology. 63 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 3: When were you aware of it. 64 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 2: Earlier this month? 65 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 3: So why have you gone public with it today? 66 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 2: Well? 67 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 4: The person has chosen to go public, and so we responded. 68 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 3: Have they spoken to the media? Have they? 69 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: They have? 70 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 4: They have canvas a number of politicians about the issue, 71 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 4: and so look, again, I don't really want to go 72 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 4: to but certainly they've made many people aware of the issue. 73 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 3: Well it's either Labor or the Greens or the Maori Party. 74 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 3: So who did they go to? 75 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 2: Look, I'm not going to ance that people can answer 76 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 2: for themselves. I don't know. 77 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: So Andrew, I was giving you credit earlier and say, well, 78 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: at least your front foot of the thing. But you've 79 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: on and you are, but you're only front footing it 80 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: because opposition MP's found out about it. 81 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 2: No, No, look the meta and you've gone about it 82 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 2: for ages. Look I was made aware of it. 83 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 4: I wrote to the person concerned, the company was dealing 84 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 4: with it, and then the person concerned decided to go 85 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 4: public on it. 86 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 3: Was this going to break tonight? 87 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 4: I'm not necessarily I don't know when it was going 88 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 4: to break, but we've chosen to do it. I obviously 89 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 4: had written to him and unreservedly apologized to him, and 90 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 4: I've done that again twice. But obviously the person's chosen 91 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,679 Speaker 4: to do what they do, and that's his progative because 92 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 4: I put them in a situation where he felt uncomfortable. 93 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 4: And again I just say that I've apologized to them. 94 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 1: Okay, so as it stands, you're probably not going to 95 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: get the sack for this, right, But is there anything 96 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: else that we don't know that could put you in jeopardy? 97 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 4: No, and I've apologized. The Prime Minster said behaviors un becoming. 98 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 4: It wasn't intended to be hurtful, but obviously some second 99 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 4: offense and I stand behind that my actions cause that 100 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 4: offense and that's why I unreserveably apologize to them. So 101 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 4: you know, beyond that, I have had many hundreds of 102 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 4: visits with companies over the last ten years, and obviously 103 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 4: this is one where what was meant to be what 104 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 4: was quite a lighthearted conversation for a few minutes, turned 105 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 4: into something that's much more difficult than that. 106 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, Andrew, thank you for having your chat to us. 107 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: Andrew Bailey, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister. For more from 108 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks they'd 109 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.