Outgoing New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has produced a series of bizarre moments during his eight years in the job, but perhaps none as unusual as the “ponytail pulling” scandal of 2015.

In April that year, Mr Key became embroiled in controversy after he was accused of inappropriately and continuously tugging a woman’s ponytail.

The accusations were levelled at Mr Key by Amanda Bailey, a 26-year-old waitress who said the PM would not stop the ponytail-tugging while she worked, despite her making it clear she did not enjoy it.

Mr Key announced his shock resignation as NZ PM on Monday, saying he had “nothing left in the tank”.

Ms Bailey worked at Rosie, a cafe in the Auckland suburb of Parnell, where Mr Key lives. She claimed the ponytail pulling occurred at least six times in the lead-up to the 2014 election.

“Even a five-year-old could tell you that if you pull on a girls’ hair she will not like it,” Ms Bailey wrote about the conservative PM in a then-anonymous piece for a left-wing NZ blog. “I shouldn’t have to tell THE PRIME MINISTER that I don’t like it when he pulls my hair – talk about stating the obvious!

“[On one occasion when] he approached me he thought it would be fitting to raise his hands high and make scary, suspense sound effects, like the music from the movie Jaws … and still gestured as if to reach behind me. As he towered overhead I slunk down, cringing.

“As he motioned to leave and I turned towards the computer, he couldn’t resist that satisfying tug and once again he pulled my hair.”

Amanda Bailey is no longer working at the cafe Photo: Facebook

On some occasions, Mr Key tugged Ms Bailey’s hair while his wife was present, the waitress alleged, with Bronagh Key even telling her husband to “leave the poor girl alone”.

Mr Key eventually apologised: “We have lots of fun and games there, there’s always lots of practical jokes and things. It’s a very warm and friendly relationship.

“But if you look at it now, no [it was not appropriate].

“When I realised she took offence by that I just sort of immediately went back, gave her some wine, apologised and said I was terribly sorry.”

English comedian John Oliver famously did a story on the scandal (at the 2:30 mark of the video below you can see Mr Key pull a child’s ponytail in a separate incident).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihReeJg08ns

Not Mr Key’s only controversy

During the 2011 election campaign, a tape was leaked of the PM talking disparagingly about the leadership of the ACT Party (in a coalition with Mr Key’s National Party) and elderly New Zealand First supporters.

The tape was recorded by a device accidentally left behind by a cameraman, and leaked to the press in 2012.

Mr Key accused the cameraman who left the recording device behind of purposefully doing so.

Mr Key photographed wearing the offending t-shirt. Photo: Facebook

The cameraman later sued Mr Key for defamation and the pair reached an out of court settlement.

In December 2014, Mr Key was accused of making fun of domestic violence.

He was photographed at a radio station wearing a t-shirt that read “I’m not sorry for being a man”.

That t-shirt was seen as a response to a speech by former NZ Labour leader David Cunliffe, in which he told a women’s refuge symposium: “I’m sorry for being a man … because family and sexual violence is perpetrated overwhelmingly by men against women and children.”

Mr Key said at the time that Mr Cunliffe’s speech was “insulting” because not all men treated women poorly.

In December 2015, Mr Key came under fire for playing along with a radio stunt which made light of prison rape.