A reality TV contestant who took advantage of a teenager's drunkenness to get her into bed then covered her mouth and nose to keep her quiet when she called for help is being edited out of the show.

Last week the state broadcaster learned FBoy Island contestant Wayde Moore, 26, appeared in court last year charged with suffocating a woman he admitted to police he lured to his home because she was drunk and he hoped to have sex with her.

Moore then covered her mouth and nose to keep her quiet when she called for help. He was found not guilty of the charge of suffocation.

The young woman, who was 19 at the time, told the Herald today she was happy TVNZ listened and is removing him.

"He does not deserve to be publicly positively put out there."

A TVNZ spokesperson today confirmed to the Herald the show would still be launching on October 12 but Moore would be edited out of the show.

"Following conversations with all parties, we have decided it is in the best interests of all involved to remove him as a contestant from the show and promotion."

However, given the recent events they said the show's release party, which was scheduled for Wednesday, will be delayed.

They said at all stages of production the contestants of reality content are supported with mental health professionals.

Moore was one of 20 young men who was vying for the attention of three women who must decide if they are "nice guys" or "Fboys".

The term FBoys is slang for "f*** boy", a term for men who never intend a sexual encounter to involve a relationship or act as if entitled to sexual encounters.

Moore was found not guilty of the charge of suffocation but copped a broadside from district court judge Noel Sainsbury who said his behaviour in targeting a drunk and vulnerable woman was "deeply inappropriate and disrespectful".

The not guilty verdict came after Judge Sainsbury said the 2018 law required it be proved that Moore intended to restrict her breathing. Court documents show he testified he had covered her mouth and nose to keep her quiet. He faced no other charges.

Judge Sainsbury highlighted the Law Commission report that led to the law, which said it should be kept "as straightforward as possible" and not include the need to prove intent - advice Parliament did not follow.

As a result, said the judge, it was not possible to "exclude the reasonable possibility that he was trying to stop her making noise" which meant he "must be acquitted".

The judge recorded Moore's interview with police in which he was "quite upfront about his intentions" - "he was hoping that if he could get [the woman] to the house, he might be able to have sex with her".

Judge Sainsbury said Moore's goal was "deeply inappropriate and disrespectful" as he knew the woman was drunk and also particularly vulnerable, having been victim to a recent serious sexual assault that had occurred when she was asleep in bed.

Moore told the Herald he did not mention the case to Warner Bros because he had not been convicted. His criminal record check produced a clean slate.

"It was something that was dealt with and was over. I thought there was no need to mention it to Warner Bros or to anyone."

He said he was upset at the time because his parents were separating, he had lost his job because of Covid-19 and was "really drunk" that day. "I was needing someone because I was emotionally unstable at the time."

Moore said the experience motivated him to go on the show. "I was going on there to show people can be better and this is me trying to be better."

He rejected claims he had tried to suffocate the woman, saying he was trying to keep her quiet.

"When it's three in the morning and someone comes to your house and starts yelling out, it's the most human reaction and I acted the way anyone would."

The Herald interviewed Moore's flatmates present that night. The first intervened when he heard the woman screaming "no" repeatedly, first loudly then "like screaming through a pillow".

"It was a very loud muffled noise. I could hear her saying 'help, help, help, help'."