TVNZ has released a statement explaining how it came to use the phrase "family emergency" to describe presenter Kamahl Santamaria's absence from his Breakfast role.
Santamaria lasted just 32 days in the high-profile job before resigning after a claim of inappropriate behaviour.
He was off-air for more than a week before his sudden departure.
The statement said Santamaria, four days after he was placed on leave, requested his absence be termed a "family emergency". TVNZ agreed to this.
Santamaria told TVNZ he had received "several queries" about his absence and he was concerned about how it would be explained.
"The decision to agree to Mr Santamaria's request was made because it was a fast-moving situation and the parties were in the midst of an employment process. The intention was that the explanation would protect the privacy of all parties involved until resolution of the issue. Subsequently, (on 2 June 2022), TVNZ's then CEO told staff that 'the use of the phrase family emergency was inappropriate' and apologised for its use," the statement said.
Yesterday, Santamaria also said that TVNZ had used the term "family emergency" on his request.
It comes after Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier said TVNZ should provide a timeline of events and a statement explaining why Santamaria's absence was described as a "family emergency".
Boshier made the request in the wake of an Official Information Act complaint from Stuff, which had asked for information around the description of Santamaria's absence.
Background
In the wake of Santamaria's exit some former female colleagues at his previous workplace, Al Jazeera, claimed the presenter had made inappropriate and uncomfortable comments during his time there.
In October Santamaria published a statement to his website which included an apology.
"As I am now finally speaking publicly, I want to apologise for any and all behaviour that may have made anyone feel uncomfortable at any time," he wrote.
"It has been mortifying to discover that my actions have caused people to feel uncomfortable around me. It has never been my intention to make people feel that way, and I offer my sincerest apologies to them and anyone else affected by my behaviour.
"What I’ve come to understand is that what I previously considered to be flirtatious, over-friendly, ‘just a bit of banter’, or simply within the bounds of acceptable in the prevailing newsroom culture was, in fact, not. As a journalist, and a person, I should have done better. I should have been better."
TVNZ launched a review into hiring practices in the wake of the scandal, which found its recruitment practices were not suited to key presenter roles.
Paul Yurisich resigned as TVNZ's head of news and current affairs following the review.
Santamaria moved to TVNZ from Al Jazeera, where he worked for 16 years.
He returned to New Zealand after 20 years overseas, having presented news and current affairs in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, the United States and Middle East.
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