Judge Bruce Davidson said there was a risk the complainant would be identified.
“He has openly courted publicity and the suggestion that publication of his name would cause him extreme hardship is fatuous,” he wrote.
However the potential risk that naming the man would in turn identify the complainant meant the accused was granted interim suppression.
“The alleged victim … says the particular post is completely untrue and highly defamatory.
“As unconscionable as it sounds, by allegedly making such a dreadful Facebook post about his alleged victim, the defendant’s name, in the interim at least, must be suppressed,” he said.
“It is absolutely clear to me that if the defendant’s name is published that there is a real and appreciable risk this could identify [the complainant].”
The order will be reviewed at the final disposition of the charge. Judge Davidson also granted name suppression for the complainant.
The defendant will reappear in the Wellington District Court in June.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.