Conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn reportedly arrested and charged

Prominent conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn has reportedly been arrested at Auckland Airport after a fracas on Saturday night.

Police said they were called to Auckland International Airport at 7.15pm after a report of an assault. A 49-year-man and a 63-year-old woman were then arrested.

The pair are set to appear in court at a later date, charged with assault, trespass and resisting police.

Police did not name the pair, but confirmed arrests had been made at Auckland Airport on Saturday after online posts said Gunn was detained.

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Posts on the Counterspin Media Telegram group said that Gunn was handcuffed by an officer and trespassed from the airport for two years.

Gunn and a camera operator were at the airport to greet a family arriving from Tokelau for the latest conspiracy cause célèbre, according to posts.

The pair were prevented from filming and had their camera confiscated, Counterspin claimed.

Gunn is a journalist best known for quitting her job on TV1’s Breakfast show live on air in 2001.

She disappeared from public view before re-emerging in 2021 with a video stating her opposition to Covid-19 vaccine mandates, which she likened to rape.

She has since become a prominent figure in New Zealand’s online conspiracy theory community and was the parents’ most unrelenting and prominent supporter in the Baby W case.

Gunn specialises in well-produced, longer-form interviews that heavily feature Gunn herself, leading Stuff’s Charlie Mitchell to liken her to superstar broadcaster Oprah.

She regularly reports on issues involving children and vaccines, and – coincidentally – has previously recounted her own near-death experience during heart surgery.

The founders and hosts of media outlet Counterspin Kelvyn Alp, 51, and Hannah Spierer, 37, appeared in court in December charged with distributing an “objectionable publication”.

Liz Gunn was approached for comment but could not be reached by phone or text.