Media company NZME has paid Clarke Gayford “a confidential amount” after it published a false rumor about the prime minister’s fiancée.
A joint statement by Gayford and NZME said those rumors were “harmful and untrue”.
The false information was discussed on a podcast and a digital radio channel called KICK.
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NZME launched KICK in 2021 as a project for its interns to work on. It has a relatively small following, compared to other NZME brands, such as ZM and Newstalk ZB, and only broadcasts online.
“The statements were based on rumors about Mr Gayford being unfounded lies,” the joint statement said.
The statement said that NZME has acknowledged that Gayford “has never been the subject of criminal charges and is not now the subject of criminal charges”.
in 2018Police issued a statement stating that Gayford was not the subject of any investigation and had never been charged in connection with any case.