Police Commissioner Mike Bush has taken the highly unusual step of commenting on false rumours circulating in public about New Zealand's first man Clarke Gayford.
The rumours, which 1 NEWS has previously made inquiries about, cannot be reported as they are false and defamatory.
Addressing those rumours today, Mr Bush said in a statement provided to 1 NEWS: "While in general we do not respond to enquiries which seek to confirm if individuals are under police investigation, on this occasion we can say that Mr Gayford is not and has not been the subject of any police inquiry, nor has he been charged in relation to any matter."
The law firm engaged by Mr Gayford, Kensington Swan, said in a statement following the police release that the allegations against Jacinda Ardern's partner were "untrue and defamatory".
"The article confirmed via a statement from NZ Police that Mr Gayford is not and has not been the subject of a police inquiry and has never been charged in relation to any matter."
Mr Gayford has declined to comment.
Ms Ardern said on her way into an event at Parliament that she didn’t want to comment on the allegations. "This is not why I’m here and this is not why I’m in politics," she said.
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